Local factors also contributing to air pollution & not just farm fire: Secy

Union Environment secretary RP Gupta says local factors have been contributing to the poor air quality and not just stubble burning. Ordering the closure of thermal power plants is not feasible as it would cut power supply, forcing people to use generators which in turn would raise pollution levels, he told Anubhuti Vishnoi in an interview. Excerpts:

Moves to address the yearly ‘poor air’ situation
As far as stubble burning is concerned — this year, many more machines have been given by the agriculture ministry, besides more waste-to-energy plants to handle stubble. We are getting data from satellites on crop fires and on the basis of that we are asking states to act on it. We are implementing other measures which are more in the nature of addressing local factors. CPCB’s 50 teams are on the ground to enforce the measures.

Higher stubble fire incidents
If you compare with last year –– a day to day comparison may show higher incidents this year but day to day comparison is not a fair comparison. The reason being, this year, harvesting has started early. Last year, stubble burning picked up around November, but this year it may end by then. Also, last year, the maximum contribution of stubble burning went up to 41% –– this year it has gone to 17% with an increase only in the last 2-3 days.

The Environment Minister’s statement on stubble burning contribution being low
When the minister made that statement, the contribution of stubble burning in Delhi was about 3%. What the minister meant is that we must be very mindful of our own local factors and control these. It is not as if without stubble fire, we will have good air. Even if you were to set aside that 3% contribution from stubble burning, the air quality will remain poor. Also, the air quality in Delhi-NCR remains poor right through February due to weather conditions.

Delhi seeking closure of thermal power plants?
We have asked the Central Pollution Control Board to take action against thermal power plants around Delhi-NCR which are not following emission norms. Shutting down or closure is not always the right answer. Suppose they were to shut down, it will affect power supply and people will become more dependent on diesel gensets which are more polluting.

Road dust and biomass burning
The two issues have been pursued strongly with states and municipal bodies. We request citizens to flag off such incidents with us on the SAFAR app. We will ensure action by the agencies. On biomass cooking and burning, the Delhi government and other state governments have been asked to ensure that those who rely on it are given better, cleaner energy options. Our target is addressing solid and liquid fuel usage.

Cloud seeding and smog towers
Cloud seeding is not being considered by us. Smog towers are being talked of, but we are unsure of the results and their impact. A smog tower costs roughly Rs 50 crore to set up and involves Rs 10 crore running costs per annum. We must assess if the same money can be spent on more effective measures - say paving of roads, greening road sides and buying dust suction machines.

Larger policy direction on Delhi air
At a policy level, we are clear that we need to shift from personal vehicles to public transport. Better quality buses, good metro network are needed. For personalised vehicles, a shift has to be made to electric or CNG mode rather than liquid fuel. Even cab aggregators need to shift to electric or CNG. While the shift to BS VI norms will result in a significant reduction in pollution levels – ranging from 30% to 60% – it is still desirable to make the switch to electric or CNG mode. We are working on a framework for the same with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on how the same can be incentivised as was done for electric autos. We are in talks with BHEL for electric vehicles.

We are assessing how many industries in the Delhi-NCR rely on solid/liquid fuel. We will be issuing regulatory instructions to ensure that every industry is provided with a permanent electricity connection and does not use solid/liquid fuel unless as raw material.