Faced with criticism over the pollution levels in Delhi from citizens, the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Delhi High Court, the Delhi government has come up with the simplest of plans in response that will ostensibly automatically reduce the load on the roads by 50 per cent. It has decided to allow only vehicles with number plates that have even numbers and odd numbers on alternate days. The rule is proposed to come into force starting next year, although opposition from various quarters is perhaps inevitable. The radical response to the situation has impressed Vardhman Kaushik, a lawyer who had filed a plea on the issue before the NGT. According to Kaushik, it is a step forward and ideally should be the first among many more measures that need to be taken. “The government has given ample time to motorists but we also need to look at how this will be implemented,” says Kaushik. Significantly, Kaushik also asserts that it is the country’s duty to lead the way in coming up with measures to reduce pollution levels, given that India accounts for the most significant share of polluting cities in any one country. The rule pertaining to even and odd numbered vehicles is already in place in some countries such as China, he says. “We should not just adopt measures taken by other countries but we should have an aggressive programme of our own,” he adds. The limits set on taking personal vehicles out would definitely be a bit of a challenge to the citizens of the state who for the last decade have been changing vehicles the way people change gadgets in less privileged societies. During the last decade, Delhi has been the sweet spot of the country in terms of growth. As its people earned more, the first thing many did was to buy a second car and then a third. The state holds the record for the highest number of vehicles in the country at around 88 lakh. If you want to scout for that city in India where one is most likely to earn more, available evidence points to the Capital. The annual per capita income of the national Capital at `2.41 lakh is almost three times its value for the country, which stands at `87,748, according to Economic Survey of Delhi 2014-15. The Capital is also surrounded by affluence in the National Capital Region, which includes Gurgaon in Haryana and Noida in Uttar Pradesh, both of which boast of industrial hubs and host almost every conceivable brand in India as well as a large number of MNCs. These two districts are an organic extension of the Capital as many people who work in Delhi live in these regions and vice-versa. The story of the region’s affluence is best captured in terms of vehicle ownership. A hyperactive real estate sector in the last decade translated into a virtual jackpot for the rural areas around Delhi. The first thing the new richie riches bought was a car. Car dealers, including those who sell luxury vehicles, in the National Capital Region (NCR) are now used to villagers from the outlying areas of Gurgaon and Noida walking in with plastic bags full of cash and ordering a model of their choice. A Traffic Gridlock But, in recent years, this symbol of prosperity has also become a problem. Over the last decade, congestion on the roads led to massive traffic jams and average speeds on Delhi’s roads have slowed down considerably. The massive number of vehicles registered in Delhi and the many others bought in the adjoining districts also aggravate Delhi’s problems pertaining to traffic congestion and pollution. The 80,000 trucks that pass through the Capital everyday do not help matters either. ET Magazine had earlier reported that a report published by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System suggests that there could be a traffic gridlock in the Capital by 2020. It was during this decade when vehicle registration numbers almost tripled that Delhi also began to gain notoriety as a polluted city. Last year, the WHO declared Delhi as the most polluted city in the world. The situa-tion is such that Delhi may be the place to go if you want to see an impressive set of digits on the pay slip but the trade-off is the heightened possibility of pulmonary disorders and a diminished lifespan. The NGT now wants the state government to put out advisories that will warn citizens about hazardous levels and ask them to stay indoors and also point out the most hazardous areas. Despite all its affluence, Delhi is today considered to be the one city where breathing is an invitation to a faster death on account of air pollution. There are days, especially during the winter, when just stepping out for a walk in the park may pose a grave threat to life. Children, the elderly and those suffering from any lung-related disorders would be particularly vulnerable on account of the poor quality of air. According to experts, asthma among children in Delhi has jumped from around 3 per cent 40 years ago to about 16 per cent in recent times. The issue came into focus this week after the US Embassy’s air quality index announced a reading of 999 in the Capital’s RK Puram area, which experts said would qualify as a public health emergency in other parts of the world. The acceptable limit is 150 while a reading in the region of 350 to 500 would qualify as hazardous. Beijing is Not Far This winter, India has virtually become a metaphor for the grave dangers to human existence on account of environmental disasters. The floods in Chennai were a matter of discussion at the Paris summit even as the air pollution in Delhi was being discussed by international newspapers. In the previous decade, it was China that was considered the major polluter of the world. Though the country has been doing its bit to clear the air — from alarm systems to health advisories — Beijing wasn’t too far behind Delhi in terms of air quality. Delhi, it seems, is in a mood for some serious reform. A senior government official who is involved in planning anti-pollution measures for the state agrees with the spirit of the decision pertaining to restricting movement of vehicles on particular days. But he cautions that executing the decision would pose some logistical challenges and that by itself would not be a complete response. The officer suggests that the government must also ensure that demand for automobiles is dampened by heavily taxing purchases of vehicles. “Nowadays you need to buy a car — and another one — on account of status and if you walk to work you are a lesser person. This kind of commentary has to change and we need behavioural changes,” says this person who did not wish to be identified. According to this person, the central government, in particular, needs to formulate a policy for the whole of NCR that would be aimed at reducing the number of vehicles on the road. Heavy taxation would be the best approach here, he says. This could later be extended to other parts of the country. “If you come up with such a measure only for Delhi, it will not work because people would buy vehicles from Gurgaon or Noida,” he cautions. He also recommends that pedestrians and cyclists should be given right of the way so that they are not tagged as the lesser beings on the road. “People have to be told that this (buying a vehicle) is not about higher status but an act that contributes to air pollution,” he said. Removal of brick kilns in the adjoining districts and shifting or closure of thermal power plants within the city are some of the other measures that need to be taken. These measures are an imperative as Delhi is a landlocked city and is more vulnerable to air pollution when compared with coastal cities. In fact other landlocked cities like Patna Gwalior and Raipur also feature high in the WHO’s classification of most polluted cities from around the world. Up and Rising A report by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Agency for the NCR published last year says that despite being one of the most polluted cities in the country, Delhi was able to arrest and even lower air pollution with its first phase of action directed by the Supreme Court. The benefits of these actions lasted till around 2007, the report suggests. But Delhi has not been able to sustain these gains and air pollution levels are rising again. “The deadly combination of growing pollution especially from vehicles and delayed action has enhanced public health risk in the city,” says the report published last year. The report further states that particulate pollution, a serious public health threat and key target of air pollution control measures, is rising rapidly after initial stabilisation. The annual average PM10 levels were reduced by about 16 per cent between 2002 and 2007. The report takes note of the fact that since 2007, particulate levels have increased dramatically by 75 per cent. “During the same decade (2002 to 2012), vehicle numbers have increased by as much as 97 per cent, contributing enormously to pollution load and direct exposure to toxic fumes,” the report says. “Car growth is explosive also because of hidden subsidies. It is ironical car users pay nothing or pay a minuscule amount for using valuable public space to park their personal vehicles.”