Delhi: CAG report on air pollution points to data shortage, discrepancy

New Delhi: Discrepancies in Pollution Under Control (PUC) certification system, lack of data on vehicles’ emission load and shortage of public transport buses were flagged as key reasons for the city’s toxic air in a CAG report on pollution tabled by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday in Delhi Legislative Assembly.

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on ‘Performance Audit of Prevention and Mitigation of Vehicular Air Pollution in Delhi’ for the year ended March 31, 2021, was tabled by CM Gupta, paving the way for discussion on the previous AAP government’s failed attempts to curb air pollution.

Air pollution was one of the major election issues raised by the BJP in Assembly election, promising to clean air quality and targeting the previous Arvind Kejriwal government of ignoring the issue.

The CAG report has pointed out various shortcomings in the effort made by the state government in controlling vehicular emission such as lack of information regarding the type and number of vehicles plying on Delhi roads and assessment of their emission load.

Apart from pointing out inaccuracies in data generated by Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS), the CAG report also flagged a shortage of public transport buses and options for last-mile connectivity to reduce the use of personal vehicles.

The CAG report also blamed the previous government for not implementing less polluting alternatives like ‘Monorail and Light Rail Transit’ and ‘Electronic Trolley Buses’.

The findings of the report assume significance as air quality in Delhi was categorised as ‘poor’ to ‘severe’ for 1,195 out of 2,137 days (56 per cent) in the last five years, which has adverse impact on human health.

Delhi’s air quality is impacted by activities in different sectors such as transport, residential, solvents, power plants and road dust. The CAG report covered pollution caused by the transport sector — vehicular emission only.

Vehicular emission was the major source of pollution with its origins in Delhi, and thus, potentially controllable by the Delhi government, said the report.

IANS