Budgeting pollution: A smokey bugle

Indian metropolitan cities dominate the World Health Organization's database of most polluted urban areas. Delhi, Gurugram and Faridabad each appear in the top twelve (by PM2.5 emissions), ensuring that the NCR is a unique 'gas-chamber', and likely the most polluted urban megapolis in the world.

The effects are telling. With long term exposure to toxic air, residents of Delhi are particularly vulnerable to a host of respiratory conditions and endure progressive damage to lung function. With successive administrations failing to address the root causes of the issue, government responses comprise mostly of temporary emergency measures such as restrictions on construction, bans on entry of commercial vehicles and enforcement of judicial directions related to Diwali crackers.

Due to the prevalence of such stop gap measures and the lack of steady investment to tackle year round particulate matter, Delhi, with its nearly twenty million inhabitants, remains in a state of predictable pollution paralysis.

To grapple with surges in pollution, the Delhi government had instituted the Graded Responsibility Action Plan (GRAP). The GRAP triggers a multitude of steps to respond to unsafe levels of pollution. However, the prescribed limits remain far above WHO suggested guidelines. Unfortunately, this has not prevented the onset of another tyrannical season of winter pollution.

Throughout the month of November, the AQI has remained in the unhealthy band or worse. A 2016 IIT study found that air pollution levels of PM10 – PM2.5 were 4-7 times the upper limit regardless of the season, i.e. all year round. Although, perhaps not as visible during the summer months, the pollution becomes acutely visible during the winter period while dispersion is limited and cold temperatures prevail. Excessive pollution, emerging particularly from secondary emissions, vehicles, road dust and municipal waste burning is challenging the citizens' fundamental right to breathe.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government introduced the Green Budget for the year 2018-19. The Rs 53,000 crore budget included 26 schemes across 4 major departments — Transport, Power, PWD and Environment, with the express aim of improving pollution control and environmental management.

The budget had outlined specific targets for the year, including a 21 lakh metric tonne reduction in CO2, a 503 metric ton reduction in PM2.5 and a 4,540 metric tonn reduction in NOx emissions. Significantly, the budget outlined fixed timelines to achieve the stated goals. However, it does not appear that milestones are consistently met, such as the delay in procurement of buses.

To tackle air pollution (in particular, particulate matter) during the course of the entire year, the government cannot afford to engage in piece meal solutions. The Green Budget outlined the following major steps:

Capital was allocated for the acquisition of a new fleet of 1,000 electric buses, 1,000 standard buses and 905 feeder buses. Such progress is crucial if private vehicular movement is to be meaningfully reduced. As of 2016-17, the total motor vehicles have increased by 7 per cent from the year before to 1.03 crore. The government also announced a Rs 30,000 subsidy for e-rickshaws. Without such capital expenditure, efforts to temporarily crack down on toxic air pollution are unlikely to bear fruit in the long run. Indeed, they have not been effective. However, this is the tenth year in a row that the bus fleet size has not been expanded despite tremendous demand.

To reduce emissions from industry, the government has also allocated a monetary incentive of Rs 1 lakh to switch to piped natural gas. Further allocations have been made for construction of elevated roads, for the installation of solar panels along cycle paths, uptake of energy efficient lighting and equipment as well as the expansion of net metering networks. Rs 1,000 crore has been earmarked to maintain roads which are central to managing road dust and emissions of particulate matter. This money will be dispensed via the respective municipal bodies.

Despite being christened, the Green Budget, the quantum of government allocation for pollution control measures, is not immediately clear. Of particular importance is the classification of capital expenditure for long-term asset creation to sustainably reduce existing levels of air pollution. For the year 2018-19, the Delhi government has allocated a total capital expenditure of Rs 9,908 crore or 18.7 per cent of the total size of the budget. This is a 23 per cent increase in capital expenditure over the previous year, which stood at Rs 8,044 crore.

None for soil

The government did not budget capital expenditure for Soil and Water Conservation. Forestry efforts, though, only attracted Rs 30 crore (amounting to less than 0.06 per cent of the total budget size). Scientific and Environmental Research received comparatively low funding, similar to the previous two years. Revenue expenditure in both Forestry, and Scientific and Environmental Research were budgeted at Rs 44.5 crore and Rs 16.2 crore, respectively.

It is imperative that the government and other authorities take cognizance of the situation and urgently fill the need for greater investments in infrastructure, technology and forestry in these areas. Speaking to DNA, Saurabh Sengupta, an artist and a concerned citizen of Delhi called for a greater voice for common men and women. As he says, "the solutions are plenty, but someone must listen". He laments that after a successful test of a smog removal machine in Delhi last year, it has been discontinued.

"The question is, why? If we have already worked on a problem then why not implement it all year. Why wait for November?" Regarding the need for greater forestry, a Delhi-based urban ecologist stressed the importance of increased planting but watchful maintenance of native plants around roads to combat dust and other harmful compounds.       

Capital Expenditure on Road Transport remains the highest, accounting for 19.5 per cent of the State's total capital expenditure. Rs 150 crore was allocated for the purchase of new buses and Rs 80 crore were set aside for the purchase of land for a new terminal. The Center of Science and Environment found, in a recent report, that the congestion of roads in Delhi was severe all through the week and in certain stretches traffic crawled along at barely 5 kmph, leading to the concentrated emission of harmful pollutants. This is striking because the report also notes that 22 per cent of Delhi is now covered by roads — suggesting a diminishing societal return to new road construction. Thus, the city must move towards dis-incentivising the use of private transport by developing a more robust public transport system.

According to Sengupta, if the Odd-Even scheme is adequately implemented it could yet prove a "game changer" in tackling air pollution, but must take into account the convenience and travel time of everyday citizens.

Funding is not the issue

In positive steps in 2016-17, the Delhi government expanded the green cover from 20.2 per cent in 2015 to 20.6 per cent in 2017. Further, five and a half lakh saplings were planted and nearly 8 lakh shrubs as of December 2017. The metro was expanded to ease commuting and total renewable energy capacity was maintained at 130 MW.

However, funds that are available to the government are often underutilised. For example, the Delhi government has been collecting an Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) since 2016, ranging from Rs 700 to Rs 1,300 on the entry of commercial vehicles including trucks. This was put in place to dissuade heavy vehicles, that were carrying cargo not intended for Delhi, from entering the city. Despite the crores of rupees of collections undertaken each week, the government has not detailed a plan to utilise these receipts for more efficiently fighting pollution build-up in the city.

Similarly, the Air Ambience Fund, which was created over ten years ago, is funded by proceeds from an environmental fee placed on diesel sales. The Fund was established for the purpose of improving Delhi's air quality but remains underutilised. Most recently, the government directed that the fund be used for procurement of public buses but this has not occurred. The DPCC has recently begun using part of this fund to study pollution sources in collaboration with the University of Washington.

Pollution in the Gangetic plains

Although, Delhi is suffering from high degrees of pollution — this is much wider, more regional concern and impacts all major cities along the Indo-Gangetic plains. The existing weather patterns and geological characteristics in the Northern plains cause pollution to spill over various states. Delhi NCR has become an inhospitable place to live, and restoring some semblance of quality of the air must be the top priority.

A quick glance at PM10 levels in major Indian cities between 2013-2016 shows that areas in the Northern part of the country are considerably more polluted than those in the South or along the coast. Despite their size, Mumbai and Chennai recorded much cleaner air due to their proximity to the sea and resultant breeze. Northern cities do not benefit from such breeze and tend to concentrate pollutants. To ensure that effective action is taken within NCR, it is imperative that the respective authorities increasingly coordinate their efforts across states. Viveka Jani, an environmental researcher and facilitator working in the area of climate change stresses the need for "constructive dialogue between different governments and stakeholders." She further stressed the need to sensitise the public to the dangers of their situation and the importance of following government directions.              

The neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab all display high air pollution levels. The situation has been deteriorating as populations grow and burgeoning incomes demand a higher standard of living. However, to ensure a reasonable quality of life, there is a need for greater pollution management controls and considerable coordination between authorities of different states.

To tackle high levels of air pollution in Delhi, Sengupta emphasized the need to continue spraying water on trees, and to redirect heavy vehicles across the newly opened Signature bridge. Painting of roofs with a reflective material could also bring down air conditioning costs. We should take inspiration from the fact that air pollution of this magnitude has been controlled before – most recently in China. To ensure the survivability of the city, it is crucial that concerned citizens are provided a platform to contribute towards a common cause. Most importantly, to ensure the enduring success of pollution control measures – states must invest in appropriate infrastructure such as public transport systems, smog removal machines and planting of appropriate native vegetation.

(Rs in crore)

Rs 1L – are set aside by the Haryana govt for pollution management activities

Rs 1.3L – is the budget that Punjab has allotted for pollution control in the state

Rs 4.3L – is the money that UP plans to spend on solar power projects & public transport

1,000 – electric buses were to be introduced on Delhi roads; biggest fleet in the country

BIGGER PLANS

• Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) plans to brings up at least 50 more CNG stations to avoid waiting for long hours in the queues 
   
• Currently, IGL has only about 450 CNG-filling stations in Delhi-NCR 
   
• The plan is to increase the current dispensing limit of 31 lakh kg per day to 35 lakh kg per day by February 2019 
   
• The expansion plan is estimated to cost about Rs 250 crore
   
• In August, the Supreme Court had asked the gas distributor to open more CNG-stations in the city to meet the rising demand for the fuel