New Delhi: Experts in the National Capital Region (NCR) are recommending a more scientific approach to phase out polluting vehicles instead of relying on a blanket rule that mandates the disposal of “end-of-life” vehicles, reported a national daily.
Currently, vehicles that are 15 years old cannot legally operate on Delhi’s roads, as mandated by orders from the National Green Tribunal in 2015 and the Supreme Court in 2018. Diesel vehicles have a shorter limit of 10 years. These vehicles are referred to as “end-of-life” vehicles, and the intention is to reduce the number of vehicles on the city’s roads with outdated emission standards. The Delhi transport department has been actively impounding 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles and sending them to scrap yards in Uttar Pradesh, as Delhi lacks its own scrapyard for vehicles.
The latest emission norms in the country are known as BS-VI (Bharat Stage VI), and all new vehicles must comply with these standards. They are significantly more stringent than the previous BS-IV norms, allowing for much lower emission levels of pollutants like nitrous oxides (NOx).
However, the current PUC test only monitors carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) and does not cover other harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter.
In a 2017 report, the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority highlighted that the current PUC certificate mechanism fails to account for the impact of transitioning to tighter emission standards.
Since 2018, the Delhi transport department has deregistered around 5.5 million older vehicles. Nonetheless, experts advise the Delhi government to consider factors beyond just the age of vehicles to target polluting vehicles more effectively.
Amit Bhatt, the Managing Director (India) of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), emphasizes that the actual lifespan of a vehicle depends on various parameters, including usage and maintenance. He argues for a new system where real-world vehicle performance determines if it is at the end of its life.
Sagnik Dey, a lead researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi and coordinator at the Centre for Excellence for Research for Clean Air (Cerca), points out that there is no fixed time frame for when emissions from a vehicle may exceed permissible standards as it ages. Different vehicles have varying usage patterns and maintenance conditions, impacting their pollution levels.
Experts advocate for a policy-level intervention that identifies vehicles based on their condition and calls for further strengthening of PUC norms. They stress the importance of monitoring nitrogen oxides (NOx) and adding all pollutants relevant to the air quality index (AQI).
While scraping older vehicles is considered necessary, car owners express concerns over the disposal of vehicles in good working condition. He believes that age alone does not determine a vehicle’s pollution level and cites the responsible maintenance of his dream car as an example.
Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), supports scrapping older vehicles due to their higher emission levels compared to current models. However, she emphasizes the need to gradually incorporate remote sensing to measure pollutants emitted in real-world conditions as a more comprehensive approach.
Experts call for a shift from solely considering the age of vehicles to a more nuanced approach based on emissions and real-world performance to effectively tackle pollution in the NCR.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
