prayagverma
commented
8 years ago The emergency action taken by current state government in the form of Odd-Even rule ( PDF ) and banning registration of diesel vehicle more than 2000cc ( Link to a news story ) has surely improved the situation a little
One of many articles about the positive affects of the rule - City air cleaner after odd-even drive: Delhi government, green bodies
But as many have stated, this kind of rule isn't sustainable in the long run until all plausible scenarios are taken into account (To state an example of an edge case - A 15 year old kid travelling with his mother for pre-boards exam in a car ending with an even number on an odd day. How can the government conclude that a person can become fully independent if they become 13 years of age - Currently the rule allows a women to travel with her children below the age of 12 years without restriction ) Even though the above example is quite shallow, but as the number of people living in the capital are a lot, chances of edge cases/emergencies arising are quite high. If these scenarios are not dealt with, in the law, then they can become a tool for exploitation.
None the less, these actions/laws/rules/bans are all steps in the positive direction. Anything of this sort requires a lot of political will which seems to be lacking in other states ( Link to a news story ) . But forcing people to follow a rule doesn't have the same effect (See the Crores of rupees in fine collected for violating the odd-even rule) as people following a rule after deep introspection and understanding on why its required. Implementing a rule gives a sense, that the problem of pollution is only for the government to solve, whereas in reality, it is a responsibility of each and every citizen ( Atleast until government doesn't start charging us for the air we breathe ) . The very fact, that a rule had to be implemented makes this a classic case of Tragedy of the commons
In the long run, curbing vehicular pollution alone won't solve the issue of pollution in the city of Delhi. In a recently released study Air Pollution Source Apportionment done by IIT Kanpur between 2012-15 for the city of Delhi, ( Refer to this news story ) it explicitly states that a lot of other factors are also at play (like polluting industries inside Delhi). Closing down or suspending operations of these industries could be short term measure which comes with its own set of problems (likely loss of livelihood for people working in these industries). Therefore a plan of action needs to be created which lays down a path for better and healthy future for every citizen rather than a select few.
Two ideas that I have in mind are - Fully solar powered city Eco-friendly building materials
chinchang
Delhi has been caught in thick layer of poisonous gases and the air quality in Delhi, the capital of India, according to a WHO survey of 1600 world cities, is the worst of any major city in the world.
This needs to be brought down to prevent health issues in its people.