Page 17 - Breathing Cleaner Air - Ten Scalable Solutions for Indian Cities
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13 Clean Air Mission for India - Ten Solutions
of high pollutant concentrations to the public. In studies should be conducted to drive investment
the entire process, public participation needs to decisions in the railways to shift freight transport
be ensured to share information on air quality and from road to rail. The Government of India is already
involvement in formulation of a management plan. exploring a shift from road to inland waterways and a
waterways terminal at Varanasi for freight movement
Public awareness needs to be enhanced through through Ganges.
display of air quality indices and spatial air quality maps
using print and electronic media. Public participation
begins with informed citizens with raised awareness
levels who can motivate the government for vigorous
implementation or adoption of mitigation strategies.
Transport Sector Solutions 2 and 3 will significantly mitigate emissions of
primary particles such as black and organic carbon and
2. Switch to low sulphur fuel (10 ppm) and implement toxic gases such as NOx, CO, and hydrocarbons. However,
Bharat-VI (similar to Euro-VI) standards for engine there are auxiliary measures that will be required to
emissions which require tail-pipe controls like reduce the transport sector emissions. These include
diesel particulate filters (DPF) for PM and selective enhancement of inspection and maintenance (I&M)
catalytic reduction (SCR) for NOx. systems, fleet modernization, increased distribution
of electric and hybrid vehicles, vehicle ownership and
Other than tail-pipe controls like DPFs and SCRs, usage controls, strengthening of public transport
this will also call for engine optimizations and (both bus and rail-based), and local measures like
technologies like exhaust gas recirculation. The setting-up ‘low emission zones’. These options are
Government of India has already announced these discussed as follows:
norms and timely implementation of these norms
should be carried out. The BS-VI emissions norms Inspection and Maintenance System: This needs to
mandated by the government will drastically reduce be strengthened and the existing pollution control
the PM and NOx emissions from new vehicles. The centres should be replaced by modernized and
implementation of BS-VI norms should be supported automated centres that can be effectively monitored
by fuel quality improvement and refineries should by state governments. TERI analysis shows that costs
produce low sulphur (10 ppm) fuels by 2019 to to set up these strengthened I&M centres can be
enable implementation of BS-VI (Euro-VI equivalent) recovered within a few years through charges for
emission standards by 2020. Indian refineries need vehicle inspection. There is also a need for capacity
significant investments to accomplish this task but augmentation to undertake vehicle spot checks.
the costs can be recovered with marginal increase With advancement in technology, the On Board
in fuel prices. We further recommend retrofitting for Diagnostic (OBD) systems should be included in the
legacy vehicles that are still in use with these control new fleet. Vehicle models should be randomly texted
technologies. This will cut down soot (black carbon) to assess on road emission performance, and in the
emissions upto 90% and drastically reduce NOx. case of violations, further investigations should be
carried out; this may lead to recall of vehicles by the
3. Shift freight transport from road to lower-emission manufacturers.
modes such as rail, inland waterways, and coastal
shipping
The Government of India places great emphasis on
developing rail-based and inland waterways freight
transport and efforts need to be scaled up. Railway
infrastructure should be upgraded to support freight
movement in specific trade corridors like the Eastern
Dedicated Freight Corridor, extending from Ludhiana
to Dankuni in West Bengal. Specific cost-benefit
of high pollutant concentrations to the public. In studies should be conducted to drive investment
the entire process, public participation needs to decisions in the railways to shift freight transport
be ensured to share information on air quality and from road to rail. The Government of India is already
involvement in formulation of a management plan. exploring a shift from road to inland waterways and a
waterways terminal at Varanasi for freight movement
Public awareness needs to be enhanced through through Ganges.
display of air quality indices and spatial air quality maps
using print and electronic media. Public participation
begins with informed citizens with raised awareness
levels who can motivate the government for vigorous
implementation or adoption of mitigation strategies.
Transport Sector Solutions 2 and 3 will significantly mitigate emissions of
primary particles such as black and organic carbon and
2. Switch to low sulphur fuel (10 ppm) and implement toxic gases such as NOx, CO, and hydrocarbons. However,
Bharat-VI (similar to Euro-VI) standards for engine there are auxiliary measures that will be required to
emissions which require tail-pipe controls like reduce the transport sector emissions. These include
diesel particulate filters (DPF) for PM and selective enhancement of inspection and maintenance (I&M)
catalytic reduction (SCR) for NOx. systems, fleet modernization, increased distribution
of electric and hybrid vehicles, vehicle ownership and
Other than tail-pipe controls like DPFs and SCRs, usage controls, strengthening of public transport
this will also call for engine optimizations and (both bus and rail-based), and local measures like
technologies like exhaust gas recirculation. The setting-up ‘low emission zones’. These options are
Government of India has already announced these discussed as follows:
norms and timely implementation of these norms
should be carried out. The BS-VI emissions norms Inspection and Maintenance System: This needs to
mandated by the government will drastically reduce be strengthened and the existing pollution control
the PM and NOx emissions from new vehicles. The centres should be replaced by modernized and
implementation of BS-VI norms should be supported automated centres that can be effectively monitored
by fuel quality improvement and refineries should by state governments. TERI analysis shows that costs
produce low sulphur (10 ppm) fuels by 2019 to to set up these strengthened I&M centres can be
enable implementation of BS-VI (Euro-VI equivalent) recovered within a few years through charges for
emission standards by 2020. Indian refineries need vehicle inspection. There is also a need for capacity
significant investments to accomplish this task but augmentation to undertake vehicle spot checks.
the costs can be recovered with marginal increase With advancement in technology, the On Board
in fuel prices. We further recommend retrofitting for Diagnostic (OBD) systems should be included in the
legacy vehicles that are still in use with these control new fleet. Vehicle models should be randomly texted
technologies. This will cut down soot (black carbon) to assess on road emission performance, and in the
emissions upto 90% and drastically reduce NOx. case of violations, further investigations should be
carried out; this may lead to recall of vehicles by the
3. Shift freight transport from road to lower-emission manufacturers.
modes such as rail, inland waterways, and coastal
shipping
The Government of India places great emphasis on
developing rail-based and inland waterways freight
transport and efforts need to be scaled up. Railway
infrastructure should be upgraded to support freight
movement in specific trade corridors like the Eastern
Dedicated Freight Corridor, extending from Ludhiana
to Dankuni in West Bengal. Specific cost-benefit
