A traffic lockdown may be what Delhi requires

News: Supreme Court described air pollution in and around Delhi city as a “crisis” and asked the Centre and Delhi administration to take action.

SC has asked authorities to consider a lockdown, among other measures

It has also advised the Centre to call an emergency meeting and work out specific ways to tackle the identified “culprits”: construction activity, industry, transport, power and vehicular traffic, apart from stubble burning.

What steps have been taken to curb pollution in NCR?

– Curbs on building projects, firecrackers, and diesel gen-sets

– Momentary restrictions on industrial exhaust

– Deals for farmers to stop setting their post-harvest waste on fire

– Smog towers and water spraying

– Even odd scheme, where only vehicles with odd number-plates were allowed on streets one day and even numbers the next. It did not prove helpful enough to justify the disruption caused.

A full traffic lockdown of the NCR might not be a bad idea to alleviate the harmful effect of pollution.

Why a full traffic lockdown can be a potential solution for Delhi’s pollution problem?

Will lower street emissions from vehicular exhaust: By the analysis of the Centre for Science and Environment, vehicular exhaust accounts for about half the seasonal rise in the capital’s levels of pollutant particles. A full traffic lockdown for about a week or so, depending on the smoke dispersal of winds, should cause a notable reduction.

Source: This post is based on the article “A traffic lockdown may be what Delhi requires” published in Livemint on 16th Nov 2021.