Will a Diesel Cull Tackle New Delhi's Smog?

Guy Fawkes Night sees the UK come alive with fireworks, but compare the holiday to India’s annual Diwali celebrations and it looks trivial. Triggered by a cocktail of adverse meteorological factors, as well as thousands of fireworks set off across the city, levels of pollution in Delhi soared during the city’s recent Diwali celebrations. The Indian capital was blanketed in a thick haze of smoke, ash and pollutants for over a week, with more than 17 million people forced to inhale the smog. According to the country’s Central Pollution Control Board, contamination rose to 13 times the safe levels outlined by the World Health Organisation’s Air Quality Index.

Air pollution shuts down Delhi

According to data from Delhi’s pollution monitoring agency, concentrations of Particulate Matter 2.5 increased to over 1,200 micrograms per cubic metre. Making its way deep into the lungs, the pollutant irritates the throat, and causes major respiratory problems. This forced the government to issue a citywide health warning, as well as close around 1,800 primary schools across the city.

Delhi forced to clean up its act

Following the aftermath of the worst pollution crisis Delhi has seen in 17 years, India's Supreme Court ordered the city’s administration to clean up its act. The solution put forward was the revocation of licenses for thousands of old diesel powered vehicles aged over 15 years, as well as a temporary ban on construction work on the city’s new underground rail network. When the new act comes into place, it will see more than 200,000 diesel vehicles removed from the streets of Delhi.

Calls for a hard-line approach from the government

Head of the Centre for Science and Environment Sunita Narain was quick to support the drastic move, explaining that the government needs to take a hard-line approach to controlling pollution in Delhi.

"There is lax action on the court's directives. There is little recognition of the urgency of toxic air pollution, particularly in the winter months," she said. "We are asking the court to monitor the implementation of measures," she added, urging the government to declare the latest pollution outbreak as a public health emergency.

Benzene joins Particulate Matter 2.5 on the WHO blacklist, with the organisation warning that that exposure to benzene can cause damage to the reproductive organs, as well as support the development of cancers like leukaemia. ‘Benzene – Measurement of ppb levels accurately in real time’ explores the latest techniques being used to measure the organic chemical compound benzene against a background of other BTEX gases, and relay data in real-time.