Delhi has been categorized as the fourth most polluted city of the world in a list of 41 cities. Burning of fossil fuels has added to the pollution of air in Delhi.
Various steps have been taken to improve the quality of air in Delhi.
- Introduction of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas): By the order of the supreme court of India, CNG-powered vehicles were introduced at the end of year 2006 to reduce the levels of pollution in Delhi. CNG is a clean fuel that produces very little unburnt particles.
- Phasing out of old vehicles
- Use of unleaded petrol
- Use of low-sulphur petrol and diesel
- Use of catalytic converters
- Application of stringent pollution-level norms for vehicles
- Implementation of Bharat stage I, which is equivalent to euro II norms in vehicles of major Indian cities.
The introduction of CNG-powered vehicles has improved Delhi’s air quality, which has lead to a substantial fall in the level of CO2 and SO2. However, the problem of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and respiratory suspended particulate matter (RSPM) still persists.
