INTRODUCTION
· Human activities generate three broad sources of air pollution: stationary or point, mobile, and indoor
· In developing countries especially in the rural area, indoor air pollution from using open fires for cooking and heating may be a serious problem
· Industries, power plants etc. are the cause of stationary air pollution. But in urban areas – both developing and developed countries, it is predominantly mobile or vehicular pollution that contributes to overall air quality problem.
· In Delhi, the data shows that of the total 3,000 metric tonnes of pollutants1 belched out everyday, close to two-third (66%) is from vehicles. Similarly, the contribution of vehicles to urban air pollution is 52% in Bombay and close to one-third in Calcutta.2 Katz (1994) has estimated that in Santiago, Chile, wherever pollution concentration exceeds ambient standards, mobile sources or vehicles are the cause. Similarly, in case of Budapest, Hungary, transport is the dominant source of emissions except sulphur dioxide (SO2), contributing 57% of Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), 80% of lead (Pb), 81% of carbon monoxide (CO) and 75% of hydrocarbon (HC) emissions (Lehoczki, 2000)
· A number of countries have targeted vehicles and associated sectors (such as, fuel) to curb the menace. Notable successful initiatives are: conversion of public transport from diesel to CNG in Delhi, switching of Vikrams (tuk-tuks) from diesel to electricity in Kathmandu valley, shifting from leaded to unleaded gasoline in many countries etc.
· Still the pollution problem in urban cities may continue to loom large due to ever-burgeoning vehicular population, which is outpacing any such measure and road network development.
· Following data gives a glimpse of such skewed growth. Against 1.9 million vehicular population in 1990 in Delhi, it rose to nearly 3.6 million in the year 2001 (i.e., an increase of nearly 87%).
· During the same period, Delhi’s population has increased by only 43% (from 9.5 million to 13.8 million) and road-length by merely 14% (from 22,000 Km to 25,000 Km) respectively. Situation is similar across a number of cities in India and the developing world. This indicates the exigency of controlling vehicular pollution.
· The worst thing about vehicular pollution is that it cannot be avoided as the emissions are emitted at the near-ground level where we breathe. Pollution from vehicles gets reflected in increased mortality and morbidity and is revealed through symptoms like cough, headache, nausea, irritation of eyes, various bronchial problems and visibility.
· Human activities generate three broad sources of air pollution: stationary or point, mobile, and indoor
· In developing countries especially in the rural area, indoor air pollution from using open fires for cooking and heating may be a serious problem
· Industries, power plants etc. are the cause of stationary air pollution. But in urban areas – both developing and developed countries, it is predominantly mobile or vehicular pollution that contributes to overall air quality problem.
· In Delhi, the data shows that of the total 3,000 metric tonnes of pollutants1 belched out everyday, close to two-third (66%) is from vehicles. Similarly, the contribution of vehicles to urban air pollution is 52% in Bombay and close to one-third in Calcutta.2 Katz (1994) has estimated that in Santiago, Chile, wherever pollution concentration exceeds ambient standards, mobile sources or vehicles are the cause. Similarly, in case of Budapest, Hungary, transport is the dominant source of emissions except sulphur dioxide (SO2), contributing 57% of Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), 80% of lead (Pb), 81% of carbon monoxide (CO) and 75% of hydrocarbon (HC) emissions (Lehoczki, 2000)
· A number of countries have targeted vehicles and associated sectors (such as, fuel) to curb the menace. Notable successful initiatives are: conversion of public transport from diesel to CNG in Delhi, switching of Vikrams (tuk-tuks) from diesel to electricity in Kathmandu valley, shifting from leaded to unleaded gasoline in many countries etc.
· Still the pollution problem in urban cities may continue to loom large due to ever-burgeoning vehicular population, which is outpacing any such measure and road network development.
· Following data gives a glimpse of such skewed growth. Against 1.9 million vehicular population in 1990 in Delhi, it rose to nearly 3.6 million in the year 2001 (i.e., an increase of nearly 87%).
· During the same period, Delhi’s population has increased by only 43% (from 9.5 million to 13.8 million) and road-length by merely 14% (from 22,000 Km to 25,000 Km) respectively. Situation is similar across a number of cities in India and the developing world. This indicates the exigency of controlling vehicular pollution.
· The worst thing about vehicular pollution is that it cannot be avoided as the emissions are emitted at the near-ground level where we breathe. Pollution from vehicles gets reflected in increased mortality and morbidity and is revealed through symptoms like cough, headache, nausea, irritation of eyes, various bronchial problems and visibility.
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