Polluting vehicles 70% more than MCD estimate: CSE survey

 Tribune News Service 

A day after the Supreme Court sought to know from the Centre and the Delhi Government measures to prevent polluting trucks from entering the national Capital, a new study claims to have found the actual number of such vehicles to be 70 per cent more than what the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has estimated. 

Challenging the data reported by the civic body, NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which has done the survey warned that this could lead to gross underestimation of the enormous pollution load from trucks. 

It was also noted that most of these trucks entering the city from nine points pass through Delhi to avoid higher toll charges on other routes. Besides, these trucks were running on outdated technology, spewing more smoke to leave Delhi choked, pointed out the CSE survey. 

CSE director general Sunita Narain said, "Without the right numbers and more varied strategies, official action to control truck pollution has remained and will remain weak and ineffective."

As per the CSE survey, done every day between June 29 and July 18 this year, some 38,588 commercial vehicles (excluding taxis) enter Delhi only from the nine locations as against the MCD data that puts it on an average at only 22,628 commercial vehicles, excluding taxis- almost 16,000 vehicles less. 

If that is extrapolated to the 127 entry points into Delhi, then a total of 52,146 commercial vehicles (excluding taxis) enter the national Capital, the study reported while adding that vehicles were measured in both directions. 

The daily average numbers of light and heavy goods vehicles that enter and exit from the nine points are 85,799 and with this the total number of commercial light and heavy duty trucks entering and leaving the city is 115,945 each day. 

Claiming that the MCD estimate of the number of trucks crossing Delhi borders is grossly underestimated and is unreliable for calculating pollution load from trucks, the study added that the gap in different entry points varies in the range of 50-96 per cent.

The survey revealed how trucks cross through Delhi not only because it is shorter but also because it is a lot cheaper as they avoid alternative toll roads around Delhi.