elhiites are in for a worse winter with the stifling air quality aggravating the condition of those with compromised lung function. One of the culprits is the trucks that pass through the Capital causing pollution. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a report on the entry of trucks into Delhi.The survey results challenge the data prepared by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on the numbers of trucks entering the city every day.
The most shocking fact revealed in the survey was that trucks cross through Delhi not only because it is shorter, but also cheaper compared to alternative toll roads.
“This is done at the cost of the city dwellers’ health,” said CSE director general Sunita Narain. She said the city should prepare for a ‘harsh’ winter (air quality wise) with official action to control truck pollution remaining weak.
Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director and head of its air pollution control campaign, said, “Delhi has to recognise the enormous pollution contributed by the trucks crossing its borders daily. The coming winter and the increase in pollution will make living very uncomfortable especially for those with medical condition.”
CSE has said that the two expressways – western and eastern – directed by the Supreme Court over a decade ago, should be completed urgently. “Delhi has now got the dubious distinction of being the most-polluted city in the country,” said Ms. Roychowdhury. The survey sought to get an independent estimate and to verify the MCD data on the trucks coming into the city. The traffic count survey was conducted by using 24x7 video recording method at fixed spots near selected entry points between June 29 and July 18, 2015. It has counted all categories of trucks and other commercial vehicles that feature in the MCD database.
These include mini light goods vehicle, light goods vehicle, two-axle truck, three-axle truck, four-axle truck, five-axle truck, six-axle truck, and truck with more than six axles. The survey was done continuously for 24 hours and trucks both entering and exiting Delhi were counted.
The survey was conducted on nine representative entry points, which according to the MCD, account for close to 75 per cent of the total commercial vehicles’ entry into Delhi.
The survey found the MCD estimate of the number of trucks crossing Delhi borders is grossly underestimated and is unreliable for calculating pollution load from trucks. “According to the MCD data, on an average, only 22,628 commercial vehicles, excluding taxis, enter Delhi each day from nine entry points, as against the 38,588 commercial vehicles counted by the CSE survey – almost 16,000 vehicles less. This is an underestimate of about 70 per cent in the number of trucks entering from the nine entry points,” said the survey.
According to the MCD, the total number of light and heavy trucks entering Delhi every day from all points is 30,373. This is even lower than what the CSE survey counted at the nine entry points.
Thus, the MCD data on daily average truck entry is an underestimation by an astounding 70 per cent. The gap in different entry points varies in the range of 50-96 per cent. CSE has said that the total number of commercial light and heavy duty trucks entering and leaving the city is 115,945 each day.
Stating that Delhi’s own vehicles are responsible for 62 per cent of the particulate load from the transport sector and 68 per cent of the NOx load, Ms. Narain said, “The light and heavy trucks that enter Delhi spew close to 30 per cent of the total particulate load and 22 per cent of the total nitrogen oxide load from the transport sector.”
“Without any restraint on the movement of these trucks, Delhi’s battle against toxic pollution cannot be won. Though light goods vehicles are 49 per cent of all commercial vehicles, the relative contribution of heavy trucks is much higher,” said Ms. Narain.
“There is no reliable data on commercial traffic that is not destined for Delhi. This is a gross underestimation by the MCD,” said the survey.
The MCD data showed that the trucks which turn back, in compliance with the order of the Supreme Court, is a mere 0.3 per cent. Even taking the MCD estimate of the numbers of light and heavy vehicles, just 90 such vehicles were not destined for Delhi and the rest 29,000 needed to do business in the city.
This rapid and limited survey also found that around 23 per cent of all commercial vehicles travelling on NH-1 were not destined for Delhi. It was found 40 to 60 per cent of heavy trucks (three-axle and above) were not destined for the Capital. But it is clear that it is not possible to distinguish between such vehicles and a strategy must be devised so that all light and heavy-duty trucks are covered.
Delhi has now got the dubious distinction of being the most-polluted city in the country
