Curb on old cars unlikely to improve Delhi air: UNEP

The National Green Tribunal's ruling barring vehicles more than 15 years old from plying on Delhi roads is unlikely to have an impact in curbing automobile pollution or improving the quality of air in the capital, reveals a study by the United Nations Environment Programme on promoting low carbon transport in India.

"Less than one per cent of passenger cars and two-wheelers on Delhi roads are aged over 15 years. They mostly belong to pensioners who hardly drive them. The ruling is difficult to implement and will do nothing to improve the environment," said Dinesh Mohan, Volvo Chair professor emeritus at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

According to the study, 68 per cent of cars in Delhi are less than five years old, 26 per cent are aged 6-10 years, six per cent 11-15 years and less than one per cent above 15 years. The average age of Delhi's car fleet is 4.4 years. The picture is similar for motorised two-wheelers: 73 per cent are aged less than five years, 23 per cent are 6-10 years, three per cent are 11-15 years and less than one per cent are over 15 years.

The age profile of commercial vehicles in Delhi shows there are no passenger buses, auto rickshaws, light goods vehicles, tempos or trucks aged above 15 years. The age distribution was obtained using fuel station surveys and data from pollution under control centres.

 

The NGT ruling might affect vehicles aged over 11 years that will cross the 15-year threshold over the next four years. These would include 15 per cent of tempos and 17 per cent of trucks on Delhi roads. Further, six per cent of cars, three per cent of motorised two-wheelers, eight per cent of passenger buses, five per cent of auto rickshaws and three per cent of light goods vehicles are also set to cross the 15-year threshold. The impact, of course, is subject to the vehicles still being in use till that time.

"No vehicle that retires in the country is deregistered. The proportion of in-use vehicles will be significantly lower than the number of registered vehicles," Mohan said.  

It is not possible to obtain details of vehicles in use as owners are required to pay a life-time tax at the time of purchase. Most vehicles remain on the register even after they have been scrapped. The official registration numbers give the cumulative number of vehicles sold over a long period of time and not those in use.

According to the study, 51-59 per cent of cars registered and 40-45 per cent of motorised two-wheelers in Delhi are in use based on two different methodologies employed on data obtained from fuel station surveys.

Delhi has the highest vehicle ownership among metropolitan cities in India. According to the 2011 Census, 21 per cent of households own at least one car, and 30 per cent own at least one motorised two-wheeler.

Upset about deteriorating air quality in Delhi, the NGT, established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, has ordered a blanket ban on vehicles more than 15 years old. According to a recently published World Health Organisation report, the air in Delhi is the most polluted in the world.