Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Anshul Vipat
There can be no doubt that pollution is a crisis confronting Delhi and other cities and towns in northern India.
Scientists and climate experts have no doubt that Delhi is arguably the most polluted capital city amongst major countries in the world. For instance, the Air Quality Index of the city even at 5 AM on June 27, 2022 was measured at 169, which is considered very unhealthy. For Delhi, the situation gets even worse as winter approaches with the AQI often exceeding alarming levels of even 700. Its not just Delhi; most cities and towns in north India face a similar problem. Agencies, the government and even the judiciary have taken several measures over the decades to tackle the menace of pollution. In the late 1990s, all taxis and three wheelers were ordered to shift to CNG as their fuel and all industries were banned in Delhi. Recently, diesel cars have been banned if they have completed 10 years while petrol cars lose their registration after 15 years. Similarly, there is a blanket ban on sale and use of fire crackers during the Diwali festival in Delhi. But despite so many stringent measures, there seems to be no improvement when it comes to pollution in the city. Some studies have estimated that severe pollution has led to a dramatic rise in bronchial diseases amongst school going children. A recent study estimated that life expectancy in Indian cities is about 10 years lower because of extreme pollution. While India Tracker cannot vouch for the scientific credentials of such studies, there can be no doubt that pollution is a crisis confronting Delhi and other cities and towns in northern India.
In yet another move, the Government of Delhi recently announced that it will ban the entry of trucks and other heavy vehicles into the city from October 1, 2022. The ban will stay in place till March 2023. The move is aimed to try and curb the alarming rise in pollution and the AQI which is witnessed during the winters. C Voter India Tracker conducted a nationwide survey to find out what Indians think about the move. The results were not surprising. A big majority of 63% of the respondents overall supported the harsh decision and reckoned that it will curb pollution.
There was no political divide seen on this issue. While 61% of the respondents who are opposition supporters were in agreement with the decision, two thirds of NDA supporters backed the move. As the accompanying chart shows, support for the move declined as you moved up the education and income ladder.
Two thirds of those with lower education supported the move while 56 of those with higher education backed the decision. Similarly, while two thirds of the respondents belong to the lower income group backed the policy decision, just about 51% of those in the higher income group supported it. In some ways, it indicates that pollution causes more harm and inconvenience to the poor.
