Centre for Science and Environment lauds Delhi government’s decision to ban registration of diesel taxis in the capital from January 2000 to control toxic particulate pollution in the capital.

For the first time the Delhi government has taken a decision that goes beyond the Supreme Court directive in the interest of the environment and public health. Earlier the Supreme Court in its order of July 28, 1998 had directed the Delhi government that all pre-1990 autos and taxis should be replaced with new vehicles running on clean fuel by March 2000. Thus diesel taxis were not allowed in Delhi. But in a subsequent ruling of April 29, 1999, the Supreme Court while advancing the enforcement of Euro I and Euro II norms for cars in the Capital qualified that diesel taxis meeting the Euro II norms could be allowed. But the Environment Pollution (Control and prevention) Authority in its report to the Supreme Court in September, 1999 recommended that only taxis running on CNG should be allowed in the capital.

It is therefore exemplary that the Delhi government has been able to take a decision on halting registration of all types of diesel taxis without waiting for the Court to push them. This is a very important measure to control dieselisation of the vehicle fleet to curb particulate pollution posing serious health risk in the capital.

Centre for Science and Environment feels that after taking this decision the Delhi government must continue to remain proactive and speed up conversion of the entire bus fleet to CNG by the stipulated deadline of March 2001, and, also stop registration of diesel run private cars to maximise environmental benefit of reducing diesel consumption. It is not justified to allow private diesel cars to run on cheap and toxic diesel when public and commercial transport is moving to CNG to cut air pollution in Delhi.

If Delhi succeeds in controlling dieselisation it will join rank with those cities of the world now reassessing their policies favouring diesel. In Europe the damaging impact of diesel cars on the environment has not gone unnoticed by environmental authorities. In Germany, new rules may make it impossible to drive diesel in certain regions on officially declared smoggy days. Even in France, where the diesel car industry has enjoyed protection for a long time, the government has announced long term changes in the pricing of diesel and of taxation of diesel cars to reverse the share of the diesel cars and diesel fuel. The Dutch government has also begun to impose harsh taxes on diesel fuel and vehicles to favour LPG. In UK gasoline and diesel recently had become nearly equally highly taxed for environmental reasons. Most dramatic is the recent move by the Tokyo Metropolitan government urging the citizens to stop using diesel cars.

The concern over diesel stems from severe particulate pollution load in the city. The trend in small respirable particles of less than 10 micron size (PM10) which go deep into our lungs and trigger cancer, is alarming in Delhi. The daily average levels of PM10, have consistently remained 3 to 5 times the national standards and the maximum levels have even reached 8 times the standard during winter in 1998. According to WHO, particulate are responsible for maximum health damage and are harmful even below the standards.

Delhi faces the challenge of reducing particulate pollution by as much as 90 per cent. As much as 90 per cent of the diesel particles are less than 1 micron size and extremely harmful. Diesel consumption in Delhi is already very high. We cannot add any more to the diesel fleet as diesel vehicles emit particles in quantity by one to two orders of magnitude (10-100 times) higher than petrol vehicles. Studies have shown that improved diesel engine technology reduces the quantity but increases the number of finer particles. Sulphate particles from diesel vehicles are responsible for four times more daily mortality compared to PM 2.5 and 8 times more daily mortality compared to PM10. Diesel particulate matter has been found to be carcinogenic by Air Resources Board of California, WHO, and the Ministry of Occupational Health in Germany. Scientists in Japan have even isolated a deadly compound in diesel fumes which is known to be the strongest carcinogen known till now.

Contact Centre for Science and Environment at Tel: +91 (011)-29955124, 29955125, 29956394, 29956401, 29956399