New Delhi: What has changed in Delhi’s pollution mix over the past decade? Have cleaner fuels, vehicle technologies and tighter emission norms altered the contribution of different sources?
Nearly 10 years after the first detailed source apportionment study of Delhi by IIT-Kanpur in 2016, a new assessment is underway to establish how the region’s pollution profile has changed. The high-resolution emission inventory and source apportionment study will provide updated emissions estimates for Delhi and 27 NCR districts using a 500m × 500m grid, with each cell covering 0.25 sq km and 2026 as base year. The study, being undertaken from Jan 1 to Dec 31, will be analysed by mid-2027 and provide future emissions and air quality scenarios for 2030, 2035 and 2040. However, Delhi got its first source apportionment study by IIT-Kanpur in 2016, followed by ARAI-TERI in 2018. “The study will give scenario assessments for 2030, 2035 and 2040 under different mitigation pathways to help evaluate potential changes in emissions and air quality.
For example, coal has been banned in NCR, except specified processes, and industries have shifted to cleaner fuels,” SD Attri, member technical, CAQM, said. These scenarios will provide a scientific basis for long-term pollution control planning in Delhi-NCR,” said Attri, who is heading the project review committee which is tracking the progress of the ongoing study. The assessment is being done by a consortium led by Automotive Research Association of India, Pune, in association with IIT-Delhi, TERI and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. Though several institutes conducted studies on pollution sources, none was as comprehensive as the IIT-Kanpur and the ARAI-TERI studies. “Changes in vehicle technology, fuel standards, industrial practices, pollution control measures, urban development, waste management and agricultural activity may have altered emissions and their relative contributions. For example, vehicular emissions can be estimated using road networks, traffic volumes, vehicle categories and activity patterns. Industrial emissions can be assessed using information on industrial locations, production, fuel consumption and pollution control equipment. Road dust emissions require information on road characteristics, silt loading and relevant activity patterns.
geographical coverage, source-sector classification and base years, this study will follow a common framework, using high-resolution mapping, activity data, emission factors, geographical information, seasonal changes and ground verification by teams to estimate emissions from sources While earlier assessments differed in methodologies.