trucks and road dust are bigger pollutants than cars in Delhi

The Delhi government may be targeting private vehicles to check rising air pollution levels, but a study by IIT-Kanpur shows that cars and jeeps contribute less than 10% of particulate matter while trucks are bigger culprits.

A big contributor to Delhi's air pollution is road dust that accounts for about 35% of tiny particles known as PM 2.5 in the air, followed by vehicles, according to a recent study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Trucks and two-wheelers account for larger chunks of PM 2.5 pollution than passenger cars' contribution of 14-15% to overall vehicle emissions. ET reviewed the findings of the IITKanpur report, 'Source Apportionment Study of PM 2.5 and PM 10', which was submitted to the Delhi government late last month.

This report, commissioned by the state government in 2013, is said to be one of the triggers for the Arvind Kejriwal government's action plan to address air pollution concerns in the Capital.

A top official in the Delhi government confirmed to ET the IIT-Kanpur study had indeed concluded that trucks are the major contributors to PM 2.5 pollution among vehicles.

"Road dust and construction dust are the biggest contributors to PM 10 and PM 2.5 as per the draft report from IIT-Kanpur — their contribution in PM 10 is up to 50%. In PM 2.5, trucks contribute the most among vehicles — up to 46%," the source said on condition of anonymity. The official said the state's environmentdepartment was "actively deliberating" on the report but wanted the final findings to come out next week before planning "more specific" steps.

With vehicles contributing up to 40% of secondary particulate pollution, a senior official at Delhi's environment department said that it was important to target vehicular emissions.

for more details visit  www.vayupure.com