INTRODUCTION

With the exponential increase in the number of motor vehicles, vehicular exhaust has become a major source of air pollution in urban centres. For containing vehicular pollution, the Government has taken some important initiatives in recent years. These relate to progressive tightening of auto-emission norms (1991,1996, 1998 & 2000) and fuel quality specifications (1996) as recommended by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). CPCB had also drawn up a series of Action Points (1995) and a Strategy for Vehicular Pollution Control (1997) with estimates of possible reduction in pollution load through the individual and combination of various measures including phasing out of grossly polluting old vehicles and introduction of systematic inspection and certification system for on-road vehicles.

Among the metro-cities, the capital city is most severely affected with the highest number of motor vehicles and as much as 70% of the air pollution is attributed to vehicular exhaust. This is why, the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority for NCR, (constituted in January 1998) was asked to pay special attention to the measures for containment of vehicular pollution.
 

Based on the inputs provided by CPCB and discussions with the concerned agencies, the Authority had enlisted some priority measures and time targets for vehicular pollution control. The Hon’ble Supreme Court approved the proposed measures and directed that these measures should be implemented. Some of the measures have been implemented while others are in different stages of implementation (Table 9). A review of the steps so far taken and their impacts vis-à-vis the steps which need to be taken for an integrated approach towards control of vehicular pollution is presented in the following sections.