Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday that the decrease in particulate matter levels in 2017, compared to 2016, showed that there was growing awareness among residents about air pollution.
Terming this as “good news” for Delhi, Mr. Sisodia, however, added that more needs to be done.
Referring to the Central Pollution Control Board data, which showed that PM2.5 and PM10 levels had reduced in 2017, Mr. Sisodia said the decrease showed that Delhiites were determined to reduce pollution.
The average PM10 level reduced from 310 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) in 2016 to 260 ug/m3 in 2017. The level of PM2.5 decreased from 120 ug/m3 in 2016 to 101 ug/m3 in 2017.
First dip in five years
“For the first time in five years, the levels of PM have reduced. This could not have been possible without the efforts of Delhiites, the courts and the government,” the Minister said.
Though he cited data for 2016-17, Mr. Sisodia said that consumption of diesel had reduced last year. The Delhi government’s Statistical Handbook showed that sale of diesel dropped 16% from 2015-16 to 2016-17. This shows that people are switching to cleaner fuels, he added.
The handbook also revealed that registration of vehicles reduced from 8.8 lakh in 2015-16 to 7.8 lakh in 2016-17. Mr. Sisodia attributed the drop to more people taking public transport.
However, the handbook said that ridership on public transport actually decreased. The Delhi Transport Corporation saw a decline in daily ridership from 35.37 lakh in 2015-16 to 31.55 lakh in 2016-17.
Mentioning several court-ordered moves, like the ban on diesel vehicles over 10 years and levying of environment compensation charge, Mr. Sisodia said there had been several efforts to reduce pollution. He said the Delhi government had acted to implement all “progressive court judgements”, including rolling out the Graded Response Action Plan.
Getting strict
He said there had been a crackdown on dust pollution, with around 2,500 challans issued for dust at construction sites and 200 challans for burning of waste and leaves.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee had also issued show-cause notices to 12,200 polluting industries and acted to close down 400 of these units.
However, he said the levels of pollution in Delhi were still well over the limits. He said Delhiites should limit the use of private vehicles and switch to public transport and car-pooling.
