Will the odd-even experiment work, or does delhi government need to go back to the drawing board for more constructive solutions to address the capital's dismal air quality?
MEHAK CHOWDHARY// Ever since Delhi’s chief minister announced the odd-even scheme in Delhi to reduce vehicular traffic and correspondingly, bring down particulate matter levels which are soaring to deathly highs, we’ve all become urban planners, policymakers, environmentalists and soothsayers. Some decry the measure believing the end outcome of a possible 5 per cent overall reduction in particulate matter (PM) levels is as good as negligible, others are actively waiting to start making a move in favour of the environment; people are discussing and debating across offices and at parties, through news and social mediums. And while thought of having the comfort of your car taken away three days in a week has made citizens across the country qualified environment and public policy critics, at least we are discussing the environment.
Delhi is slowly becoming a gas chamber. Did you see the horrific images of Beijing last month, covered in layers of smog without the sun peeping through? Delhi’s particulate matter levels, especially PM 2.5, which causes permanent damage to lungs, are significantly higher than what Beijing was at its worst. On Christmas Eve, an environmentalist friend measured PM 2.5 at over 500 inside his house; so just imagine the nightmare outside in which we walk across stores, send children out to play and inhale while jogging across the Lodi Gardens.
At this critical juncture, the odd-even scheme needs to be seen for what it is — an effort by the state government to mobilise citizens towards taking environmentally-conscious steps for the sake of their health and their own city. It’s not Kejriwal’s oddeven scheme — don’t put a political overtone to it. It’s simply a scheme to reduce the number of cars on the road by 50 per cent, to diminish the time spent on the road, which further adds to pollution caused not just be vehicular traffic, but also by tyre tread on road surface and to give us in Delhi more time to think and plan a day out.
By itself, the net positive outcome of this scheme is likely to be only a 5 per cent reduction. It’s also an ambitious plan, given that a majority of this smog has been caused by field and biomass burning across Punjab through September-October, so the culprit is not being held; the victims are being asked to mobilise themselves. But where it’s playing a crucial role is exactly that — in mobilising thought and action towards the environment — whether critics or allies, there’s public initiative and citizen awareness that has been unparalleled since the country got together to ensure Jessica Lal’s killer was given a life sentence.
A recent social media survey by NetImpact solutions showed that 34 per cent of Delhiites were in favour of the scheme, while another 45 per cent chose to wait and watch. That’s over 70 per cent of Delhi willing to exert themselves for the sake of the environment, the city’s present and their families’ future.
Critical to the implementation of the scheme will be the government of Delhi’s ability to address the gaps in public transport, to strengthen the metro, which says it will not be able to deal with the increased loads in the fortnight, and to ensure a safe environment for women to move around in the city. The overall mood promises to be the beginning of a movement, almost revolutionary, but it simultaneously requires sustained, detailed and holistic education of the environment and further initiatives to make it Delhi’s crowning glory.
Mehak Chowdhary is Delhi-based director of Blue Apple Image Consultants, with a broadcast journalism background. A keen observer of issues, Chowdhary has worked in major international cities.
GURSIMRAN SINGH// Shame that it took a crisis of unbreathable air before the state took a step towards trying to do something about the pollution levels and the traffic woes. Even bigger shame that Arvind Kejriwal has only found a micro solution (which in itself is only going to be adopted as an “experiment”) to a crisis situation. In the first phase of this odd-even plan, only four-wheelers are being targeted when two wheelers, three wheelers, lorries, and any other form of transport using fossil fuels should be in the ambit
This idea is bound to fail because the Delhi Police does not have the kind of manpower required to implement this decision. When there are not enough traffic policemen to guard traffic signals, how can the same machinery implement a decision which requires far more effective policing? How will they monitor the entry of vehicles on the road? In Mexico, the scheme failed as people bought second-hand cars to get an odd or even car numbers and beat the system. The net result was that more cars was added onto the road and, hence, more pollution in the air. Delhi people will not be too far on this plan. People who can afford to buy a second car will be now be willing to pay a premium for an odd or even car at the car dealership.
The news that women drivers are being exempted is good for safety but it totally defeats the purpose of cleaning up the air. This will lead to women buying more cars and adding more pollution to the already toxic air.
If Delhi is serious about improving air quality, it needs to focus not just on reducing cars but also standing up for non-polluting citizens. Apart from stiff fines and chalaans, the state must give pedestrians and cyclists top billing.
The state is not incentivising cycles and cycle rickshaws, nor disincentivising cars through heavy taxes, steep parking fees, banning parking in public spaces inside residential colonies, and forbidding the entry of cars in major retail spaces.
Why not make a start with government officials getting rid of their cars? Why must the tax payer’s neck be on the guillotine always
Burning of wood, garbage, rubber and other materials for heating, cooking or any other purpose should be banned, people caught should be penalised and alternatives should be found by government authorities. All this is possible only when a proper mechanism of implementation, enforcement and alternates is worked out.
All constructions in the city should adhere to strict laws and codes. Dumping of construction materials on roadsides should be banned and the entire building construction should be enclosed in a proper barrier so that dust and related debris do not spread in the vicinity or get added to the air.
Night cleaning of streets with proper machinery will enable all dust and debris to be removed and chances of it being added back into the air will be minimised. Industrial areas, factories, and power plants should have dust filters and other anti-pollution measures which the government should provide incentive and subsidy.
Before they clamp down on private transport, authorities must augment public transport, integrate metro with buses, add non-motorised lanes on all major corridors, build roads that are urban streets and not highways, promote carpooling and car-sharing, and initiate cycle-sharing schemes. Instead of halfbaked brainwaves that are constantly in the experimental phase, the powers-that-be need to adopt stringent emissions standards by advancing Euro VI norms, shift procurement of government vehicles to cleaner fuels, create low emissions zones in the city, create entry barriers for polluting vehicles through carbon tax, and develop congestion charging framework.
Clearly, the time is not for experiments, but a concrete and comprehensive strategy.
Gursimran Singh is an independent filmmaker based out of Delhi and is founder and director of Mediaworks, a creative filmmaking enterprise.