Beijing-style plan to curb Delhi pollution in works

New Delhi: The Centre is set to unveil a Beijing-style action plan to control air pollution levels in the national capital region and convert Delhi-NCR into a 'low emission zone', aiming to cut down pollution levels by nearly 50% in the next five years, ET has learnt.

Key aspects of the plan include regulating entry of high emission trucks/heavy vehicles, along with high-pollution industries in the Delhi-NCR region, ET has gathered. The mechanism will involve a series of incentive and disincentive schemes, besides a mega fund flow and a major public awareness drive.

ET has learnt that several rounds of meetings have been held over the last few months at the top level of the government to firm up an implementable action plan. While Niti Aayog is largely steering and coordinating the move, several Union ministries and departments - environment, road transport, urban development and agriculture - are part of the plan, besides state governments, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

It's estimated that vehicles account for 18%-23% of PM 2.5 levels while the road dust is about 15%-34%. Roads, therefore, are key to improving overall air quality. The new plan will focus considerably on both, ET has learnt. Latest deliberations are looking at imposing a significantly high tax/fine on all heavy vehicles entering Delhi if they are still running on polluting fuels/emission systems. The larger plan is to only allow electric vehicles and other clean fuel-based heavy vehicles in the national capital.

To facilitate a clean switch, the Centre is working on a financial corpus that will be built from an initial government funding and augmented through the 'green tax'/clean air tax on heavy vehicles. This corpus, in turn, will be used to help fund transporters to switch to an EV/clean fuel truck/heavy vehicle. The Centre will also help broker better banking credit facilities for the same. This will be a shift from the outright "ban" ideas that often meet stiff resistance. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways will steer much of this effort.

Like the Beijing-style 'low emission zone' strategy, all vehicles running on clean fuel will have unrestricted access across the city while those on less clean fuel/high emission will have to face restricted access and tax as applicable.

A major push will be given to shift Delhi's entire public transport system to the EV mode. All new buses in Delhi-NCR are to be allowed only in EV mode. Fund flow channels have already been created through various government mechanisms and schemes from across the environment and urban housing and development ministries. The same will be extended to the entire NCR area in keeping with the airshed approach.

Another focus will be on all industrial units falling within Delhi-NCR. Plans are afoot to tighten emission norms for all industrial units in the region, far lower than the existing 50.6 ug limit for PM 2.5 - the major air pollutant. The WHO standard is 15 ug.

A graded plan to achieve better standards is planned for over 2,000 such industrial units. To facilitate industries to align with the new norms, air pollution control devices are likely to be required. The same will be facilitated through an easy credit scheme by the government, ET has gathered.

Road dust is a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR. A massive road overhaul plan is underway which will call for end-to-end paving of roads and greening of all the gaps. All road agencies - NHAI, CPWD, PWD, municipal authorities and NCR districts - are set to follow a tight action plan for the same. Major capital infusion will be required to implement the same. Mechanised sweepers, misting installations and smog guns are to be installed across locations to arrest dust suspension in the air.