Delhi-NCR must take the road to clean air

A four-step strategy focussed on cleaner and shared vehicles — put into action in the next few years — is critical to improving air quality

- Himani Jain Arunabha Ghosh

For Delhi to tackle its rapidly deteriorating air quality, citizens and policymakers must tackle one of the biggest sources of pollution within its borders: Transport, which alone accounts for nearly 50% of all air pollution within Delhi in the winter months.

There are 53 lakh active vehicles registered in Delhi; new sales deepen transport’s impact on air pollution further every day. By 2030, Delhi is expected to see a 20% rise in on-road vehicles, resulting in more congestion and rising exhaust and non-exhaust emissions. But this can, and must, be turned around. Through targeted action on BS-IV and older vehicles, and electrification of commercial vehicles, Delhi can reduce its pollution by at least 20% by 2028. This will help the Capital's air quality reach “moderate” levels, from its current average of “poor”.

Delhi is not new to transport reforms — in fact, it is often the policy laboratory for the country. It was the first Indian state to transition its commercial passenger and freight fleet to CNG over two decades ago. In 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) established an exemplary policy for phasing out older, polluting vehicles in NCR under the end-of life (EOL) regulation.

In 2018, Delhi leapfrogged to BS-VI fuel, much ahead of India. Further, Delhi's generous EV subsidies have helped it become one of the top three Indian cities with the largest EV fleets.