New Delhi: Vehicular emission is the top contributor to Delhi’s pollution during winter season–more than stubble burning, road dust or bursting of fire crackers — with over 50% of pollution from local sources linked to city’s fragmented transportation system, according to the Centre for Science and Environment. An estimated 1.1 million vehicles enter and exit Delhi daily, further worsening the air quality.
The traffic caused from this vehicle influx intensifies pollution, particularly nitrogen oxides (NOx), which account for 81% of NOx pollution in Delhi. According to data presented by the CSE, local pollution sources in Delhi account for 30.34% of the city’s air pollution (50.1% of which is contributed through transportation), while 34.97% originates from the neighbouring NCR districts and 27.94% from other areas. Stubble burning contributes only 8.19% to Delhi’s pollution levels.
These data points are based on the CSE’s analysis from different bodies, including the IITM, TERI-ARAI, CPCB’s real-time air quality data and traffic data from Google map, among others.
“The major reason behind the rising air pollution in Delhi is the state of transportation. Stubble burning, road dust and the bursting of firecrackers are concerning, but they are not as significant as this issue. We must not focus on assigning blame — whether it’s the Centre’s responsibility or the states’ or blaming farmers or firecrackers,” CSE director general Sunita Narain told a press conference. “While farm fires and firecrackers do aggravate pollution during the winter due to adverse weather conditions, they are not the sole contributors. The top contributor is vehicular emissions and we need year-round efforts to address this problem,” she added.
