Smart cities need clean air: How will India s urban growth clear air pollution for liveable and healthy cities

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1 Smart cities need clean air: How will India s urban growth clear air pollution for liveable and healthy cities Sunita Narain, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi

2 Harish Salve: Senior Advocate Supreme Court, Vasant Vihar to SC Date: November Maximum exposure level µg/m 3 between 22:00 and 22:59 p.m. The 24-hour average exposure to PM2.5 was 4 times higher than the safe standard and 1.4 times higher than the ambient PM2.5 level at Mandir Marg. Harish Salve data of PM 2.5 µg/m Personal Data DPCC Mandir Marg Standard Time 2

3 William Bissell: MD, Fab India, Hauz Khas to Okhla Date: November Peak exposure was µg/m 3 between a.m. during morning walk at Jahapanah Forest (GK II). His 24-hour average exposure to PM2.5 was 5.5 times higher than the safe standard and almost same as measured in ambient air at RK Puram. µg/m Personal Data DPCC R.K.Puram Standard Time 3

4 Bhure Lal: EPCA Chairperson, Lodi Estate to Lodi Garden, November Date: Dai 1: November His peak hourly exposure level was 1196µg/m 3 between when he goes for his morning walk to Lodhi Garden. His 24-hour average exposure to PM2.5 was almost 12 times higher than the safe standard and almost two times higher than PM2.5 measured at Mandir Marg µg/m Personal Data DPCC Mandir Marg Standard Time 4

5 Bhure Lal December 8-9, 2014 Day 2: Date: December Peak hourly exposure level was 832µg/m 3 between a.m. His 24-hour average to PM2.5 was almost 7 times higher than the safe standard and about four times higher than the PM2.5 measured at Mandir Marg station 5

6 Deadly exposure: way above standards considered safe Comparison of 24 hour average personal exposure with 24 hour average ambient levels at the nearest DPCC monitoring station Source: CSE 6

7 Deadly for our health Not dust. But toxin in air 2012 epidemiological study on children in Delhi. Covered 11,628 school-going children from 36 schools Every third child has reduced lung function. Sputum of Delhi s children contains four times more iron-laden macrophages than those from cleaner environments, indicating pulmonary hemorrhage

8 Smart is not what we are doing today How do we build really smart cities Smart is as smart does This is not smart cities with foul air and unacceptably high health burden How? Learn what has Delhi done. Needs to do

9 Delhi s pollution story Mid-1990s: air black with smoke 15 years behind the world in terms of emission and vehicle technology standards We said lets leapfrog Move to CNG; don t just improve fuel but change fuel itself to reduce emissions

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11 Leapfrog CNG leapfrog jumped us beyond Europe. Big solution; not incremental. What can we do now? Pre-Euro I Euro I Euro II Euro III Euro IV Poor diesel Improved diesel Natural gas Hydrogen

12 First generation reforms.. Soft options are now all exhausted Delhi has fought hard to get breathing space On vehicles Introduced low sulphur fuels and petrol with 1 per cent benzene Mandated pre-mix petrol to two- and three-wheelers Moved from Euro I to Euro IV over the last decade Implemented largest ever CNG based public transport programme Capped the number of three-wheelers Phased out 15 year old commercial vehicles Strengthened vehicle inspection programme (PUC) Efforts made to divert transit heavy traffic Set up independent fuel testing laboratories to check fuel adulteration On industry Relocated polluting units Tighter controls on power plants. No new power plants. Air quality monitoring Adopted new ambient air quality standards Expanded air quality monitoring and reporting Other sources Emissions standards for generator sets Ban on open burning of biomass 12

13 Delhi got cleaner air: it avoided pollution. We saw the stars CPCB: 24% drop in PM10 levels in 2002 compared to 1996 levels Resources for Future, US: CNG bus programme reduced RSPM, CO, SO2 Jawaharlal Nehru University study: Drop in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons levels in Delhi s air immediately after the introduction of the CNG programme World Bank: Delhi has avoided more than 3500 premature deaths a year

14 But vehicle numbers up; dirty diesel use up, toxic emissions in air up Source: CPCB 2014, National Ambient Air Quality Status & Trends 2012, page

15 Ozone: very bad for lungs Equalizer pollutant: found where it is green and clean Ozone levels: Delhi summer of 2014 Source: Delhi Pollution Control Committee 15

16 Source: CSE based on CPCB air quality data and Census population data In Indian cities air is toxic: bad for health 50% of cities monitored are critically polluted for PM10 This is growing Public health burden

17 Why air pollution? Vehicles biggest source of pollution Cleaner vehicles introduced; but many more added = Pollution Cleaner vehicles but diesel vehicles growing = Pollution Don t have money to check every vehicle We stay behind the problem Pollution grows; congestion grows

18 Vehicles rise and pollution increase go hand in hand Particulate pollution decline and rise again due to rapid increase in vehicle numbers 18

19 Trajectory of pollution Mid-1980s; SPM cleaned fuel; invested Mid-1990s; RSPM; PM10; PM2.5 Improved engines; mass of particles went down; but so did size: again invested Mid-2000; NOx higher temperatures for particulate control; again investing Now black carbon; ozone, climate change contribution We cannot afford to first pollute, then clean

20 Not just India agenda; global agenda for climate change In UK, cars became more efficient; emissions increased as people bought more; drove more

21 2 nd generation reform: hard steps needed 1. Build public awareness about health impacts of dirty air 2. Need drastic and urgent improvement in quality of fuel/vehicle technology 3. Stop dieselization of vehicles 4. Push public transport/mobility transition/right to walk for clean air

22 Agenda 1: health and air toxin link Greater awareness about toxins, but not enough to act Need monitoring Need public information Need health studies

23 India adopts Air Quality Index Now need a strong monitoring network Proposed Breakpoints for AQI Scale 0-500; Concentration in μg/m3 unless mentioned otherwise) Source: National Air Quality Index, CPCB, page 26 23

24 Health statements for AQI categories: cautious warnings, but will be good enough to build understanding Looking to see how to step up emergency measures Source: National Air Quality Index, CPCB, page 27 24

25 Now need to act on this 1. Need monitoring stations only Delhi has network to check real time air quality. Need affordable technology for monitoring air and need to inform people of danger 2. Smog alert system close schools, ban diesel vehicles, stop commercial vehicles when air is foul and unsafe

26 Agenda 2: fuel/technology improvement Last (this) government s auto-fuel is too little too late Does not recognise health emergency we face CSE is demanding advancement of standards: a.euro IV nationwide: 2015 instead of b.euro V nation-wide: 2017 instead of c.euro VI nation-wide: 2020 instead of Best time to do this as fuel price is low tax dirty fuel to clean and leapfrog to best standards for clean air 26

27 Diesel cars Technology roadmap: India, US and Europe not aggressive enough Diesel car PM norms in g/km Source: India, Europe compiled from Diesel Net, USA data provided by Axel Friedrich, Germany Note: Europe has additionally introduced particle number standards at Euro V level 27 Future norms of US and Europe are tightening NOx norms for diesel more

28 Agenda 3: Control dieselisation Indian style socialism: rich are subsidised in the name of poor Diesel and petrol differential remains because of tax Diesel is classified class 1 carcinogen by WHO (same class as tobacco) We allow its use without restraints

29 World is acting; we are protecting France to phase out diesel cars; Recent order from the European Court of Justice strictures to UK and member states non NOx standards violation puts diesel on spot Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai etc do not allow diesel cars; Brazil does not allow diesel cars; Sri Lanka has discouraged diesel cars with tax measures We need To heavily tax diesel cars To ban use during smog episodes

30 Agenda 4: Mobility transition But technology-fuel quality not enough We cannot afford model to first pollute and then clean up Only 15% of people in cities drive today. Already huge pollution, congestion Need transformation, not transition

31 No space for all Today only 10-15% of India commutes by cars Private cars take up 90% of road space Flyovers built and filled Delhi has 26% under road; 66 flyovers; pollution is up; road speeds are down Where is the space for the rest 80-90% to drive No choice but to plan differently today: Equity in road space use

32 Learn from Delhi: More roads and flyovers not the answer to congestion Road length in kms Road length in kms Road length per 1000 vehicles Road length per 1000 vehicles Source: On the basis of Economic Survey, Delhi Govt

33 We are only taking baby steps Need massive augmentation of fleet metro, bus, taxi Need last mile connectivity right to walk, cycle Need car restraint measures increased parking charges after 2 years of battle Need strict and innovative enforcement for illegal parking; road use

34 Must recognise the threat and opportunity Cars occupy 90 per cent of road space in cities Cars have not replaced the bus, the bicycle or walking Cars have only marginalised the bus 40-60% use bus 10-20% cycle 20-30% walk Only 10-20% use car+2-wheeler

35 The opportunity We walk and cycle because we are poor Source: Based on: MOUD 2008, Study on traffic and transportation policies and strategies in urban areas in India, Wilbur Smith Associates, Ministry of Urban Development, May

36 How can we walk, cycle, bus when and because and when we are rich?

37 Public transport transition needs a new plan Need to think all comprehensive solution Need to think integrated all options are linked and easy to use Need to think of last mile connectivity Need to think compact sprawling cities and land-use adds to congestion DON T JUST FIT IN A FEW BUSES AND FEW CYCLE AND WALK PATHS. Think big

38 Each and every trip begins and ends as walk trip. No right to clean air without right to walk Source: CSE

39 Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai: Still very high count of walk trips

40 Delhi, Kolkata have the highest count of cycle trips

41 But we will take the car as we get rich Personal motorised travel to gain about 20% additional modal share in most city categories until Deadly for air. NOT SMART Source: CSE based on MOUD/WSA data 2008

42 Walk and cycle will go down because cities will become bigger. Cities with shorter trip length have higher share of walking and cycling Source: Based on MOUD/WSA 2008

43 Compact cities have shorter trip length, more walking and cycle share and less CO2 emissions Source: Based on analysis of data provided in reports: 1) ICLEI-South Asia ) WSA/MOUD 2008

44 We build unsafe killer roads Walkers and cyclists are the largest number of victims ranging from 40-50% in big cities Source: National Crimes Records Bureau

45 Roads are not meant for walking Policy is weak; law is weaker Agenda for reform 1. The MV Act needs to encompass all road users, not just needs and interests of motor vehicles 2. The fines and penalties for irresponsible driving, traffic rule violation and illegal parking must be made much more stringent. 3. The Indian Road Congress guidelines for pedestrian facilities and street designs must be made mandatory as part of the MV Act. The Right To Walk must be made non-negotiable and all conflicts with other acts, like municipal laws or the Street Vendors Act, must be removed

46 Reinvent growth without pollution Reinvent mobility without cars Reinvent it at the scale never seen before. Never done before Turn the constraints for growth into opportunity

47 Smart city has to be smart in the way it plans for mobility and clean air Otherwise dumb and deadly

48 NEW ISSUE: NASA images of smoke plume from agricultural burning October 2012 November 2014 October 2014 Paddy straw burning: fallout of mechanization Strategies to stop by incentivizing soil carbon capture 48

49 One airshed Rich and poor Urban and rural We need to have affordable and inclusive growth for all Otherwise will not succeed