Matrix of Air Pollution

Examining the Complex Matrix of Air Pollution in India with Emphasis on Vehicular, Industrial, and Agricultural Emissions

As air quality worsens, stubble burning alone cannot be blamed; vehicular and industrial emissions also significantly contribute. India’s position on the Global Nature Conservation Index and increased tree loss for development projects further worsen air quality concerns. While policy measures like the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy aim to curb emissions, a lack of enforcement and public awareness has hampered effectiveness.

Now that the Center’s intervention has been seeked by the Apex Court to discourage the farmers from burning the agricultural waste. But the rising concern on the deteriorating AQI(Air Quality Index) is not solely limited to it.

India’s low position in 2024 Global Nature Conservation Index too makes its presence felt in the inexorable worsening of the ecology. The significant loss of tree cover for various development projects is pushing the air quality into peril. In the shadows of these current events, the issue of vehicular emissions has hushed down.

Thus the very saying that the autumn festivals worsen the AQI has become debatable as of now.

While the stubble burning faces disparage for contributing to air pollution, the role of vehicular pollution can’t be sidelined. While industrial pollution has the largest share for urban pollution, vehicular pollution ranks second with about 27% of total urban air pollution share.

With the increasing population and better fiscal status, the vehicle industry is far from slumping in the near future. This ownership leads mostly to private vehicles commuting because of the inadequate and slow public transport system. Adulteration of fuel goes unchecked which in turn raises the fugitive emissions along with early damage to vehicle health.

Since 2000, Union Governments of India have kept adapting to Bharat Stage(BS) Emissions Standards modeled on EU norms. The BS Standards regulate tailpipe emissions of air pollutants including particulate matter and respirable particulate matter, SOx, NOx, as well as lead, benzene, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons.

The emissions standards were changed from BS4 in 2017 to BS6 in 2020. This was to add further restrictions on the exhaust emissions from the vehicles on the road. This large leap had suddenly encumbered the oil and automobile companies to meet the upgradation norms.

Tabulated in Union Budget 2021-2022, the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy was launched in August 2021 to remove the polluting and unfit vehicles along with an opportunity for the uprisings of the circular economy. This was put into effect in Apr 2022. It included provisions for fitness tests after 20 years for non-commercial vehicles. This time period was scissored by five years for commercial vehicles. To encourage people to discard vintage in-use vehicles road tax rebates were announced by respective state governments and Union Territories. The automobile companies tried to make the best of this chance to increase their sales. In spite of these lucrative offers, approximately 120,000 vehicle exchanges were reported.

The launch wasn’t followed by any enforcement plan. The lack of awareness for the hazards adding to the life risks of self and all, these policies couldn’t succeed the way they were anticipated.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Netherlands was a similar fast-paced economy. The citizens then owned every facility including personal cars. With the rising awareness of the falling air quality, slowly the citizens shifted towards cycling for their daily commute. About 26% of all journeys are made on cycling bikes. Not to say, the Netherlands doesn’t just possess better air quality but also healthier citizens.

This year in Jharkhand’s assembly elections the urge to vote campaigns have been organized by the local administrations. The government officials including the District Commissioners led the programs on cycles. This might be a fractional beginning to solve the complex matrix of air pollution.