Car emissions largest contributor to Delhi's poor AQI: CSE study
New Indian ExpressWhen stubble burning was at peak between October 10-20, the contribution of average farm fire to Delhi’s PM2.5 level was only 0.7%, says the report. Further, when stubble burning induced pollutants increased sharply since October 22, the PM2.5 levels reached 213 µg/m³, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category. On October 31, the concentration was 206 µg/m³, only 3 per cent lower than the October 23 peak, even though the stubble burning contribution on October 31 doubled compared to October 23. “The data clearly indicates that local sources are the primary contributors to the elevated PM2.5 levels in Delhi, as concentrations remained high even when the impact of stubble burning was minimal,” says Anumita Roy Choudhary, Executive Director of CSE and one of the authors of the study. Delhi Government has taken a number of measures such as implementing the largest ever CNG programme for the public transport and local commercial transport, phasing out of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles, restrictions on entry of non-destined trucks, introduction of Bharat Stage 6 emissions standards, and onset of the fleet electrification.