Odd-even reduced fuel consumption, road congestion: Delhi government tells SC
What's the story
The Delhi government has submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court defending the odd-even scheme, in which it cited independent studies indicating that the policy serves as an effective emergency measure against air pollution.
Although the government conceded that it didn't conduct any scientific evaluation of the scheme, the impact evaluations by multiple sources showed that the policy reduced vehicular pollution.
It reduced road congestion and fuel consumption by 15% on an average day, the affidavit read.
Context
Why does this story matter?
After Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Monday that the odd-even vehicle rationing rule will be enforced, the Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed the Delhi government, saying that schemes like the odd-even rule were "mere optics."
Delhi's air quality was hovering in the "severe" range for nearly a week, mostly due to lower temperatures and stubble burning in surrounding regions.
To prevent further deterioration, the Delhi government reintroduced the off-even rule from November 13 to 20 after four years.
Facts
SC order expected today
After the top court's criticism, Rai said the government will await its orders, expected on Friday, before deciding on the implementation of the odd-even scheme.
The Delhi government shared studies carried out during the scheme's first two implementations in January and April 2016.
The study conducted by researchers from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, Centre for Policy Research, and Harvard Kennedy School showed that particulate matter (PM) of 2.5 microns dropped by 13% under the scheme.
Details
Studies showed reduction in PM2.5 levels and vehicular pollution
The reduction was observed during the January stint and not in April since increased temperatures led to greater PM dispersion.
The second evaluation was carried out by researchers from IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kanpur, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory, and the Energy and Resources Institute.
It determined that traffic restrictions in January 2016 led to a 4-6% decrease in PM2.5 levels, with a maximum reduction of up to 10% at three local hotspots.
What Next?
30% decrease in personal car traffic
Apart from these studies, a traffic impact evaluation by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) showed a 30% decrease in personal car traffic during the odd-even scheme in November 2019.
However, there was a 6.5% increase in two-wheeler traffic, 19.5% in taxis, 7.5% in autorickshaws, and 4.7% in buses—which made up a total of 38.2%.
The study also showed a reduction of approximately 6% in vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT) during the scheme's implementation.