‘Hotels, eateries major contributors to pollution’

Hotels and restaurants are the biggest contributors of air pollution in the national capital. There are approximately 9,000 hotels and restaurants in the city that use coal (mostly in tando-ors) and the PM (particulate material) emission in the form of fly ash from this source is huge and contributes to massive air pollution. This has been reve-aled in the findings of a study conducted by IIT- Kanpur on the increasing level of air pollution in Delhi.

The study has proposed that all restaurants, with sitting capacity of more than 10, should not use coal and should shift to electric or gas-based appliances. The study suggests that the second biggest polluter is the domestic sector. Alth-ough Delhi is a kerosene-free city and 90 per cent of its households use LPG, the remaining ones use wood, crop residue, cow dung, and coal for cooking. LPG should be made available to the remaining 10 per cent households to make the city 100 per cent free from solid fuels.

The vehicular pollution is the second largest and most consistently contributing source of PM 10 and PM 2.5 in winters. The report said: “Various control options include the implementation of BS VI, introduction of electric and hybrid vehicles, traffic planning and restriction of movement of vehicles, retro-fitment in diesel exhaust, improvement in public transport, etc. have been proposed and their effectiveness have been assessed.”

The IIT study termed burning of the mass solid waste (MSW) as a major contributor to pollution. One of the reasons for burning MSW is lack of infrastructure for its timely collection and it is conveniently burned or it may smoulder slowly for a long time.

According to the report, infrastructure for collection and disposal (landfill and waste to energy plants) of MSW has to improve and burning of MSW should be banned completely. The massive construction and demolition works in Delhi is also contributing to air pollution. Not only are the big infrastructure projects of Delhi contributing to air pollution, but construction, renovation, and demolitions in unauthorised colonies are also adding up to toxins in the air.

The construction and demolition emission can be classified as temporary or short term. The report said: “In a city like Delhi, which is high in urban agglomeration, these activities are frequent. This source is the third biggest contributor to area source emission in PM 10 and it importantly is a consistent source all through the year. The control measures for emission may include — wet suppression, wind speed reduction (for large construction site), proper disposal of waste, proper handling and storage of raw material and proper storage of waste inside premises with adequate cover. At the time of on-road movement of construction materials, it should be fully covered.”

Both coal and fly ash have been identified as the fifth biggest polluters. In summer, coal and fly ash contribute about 30 per cent of PM 10 and unless sources contributing to it are controlled, one cannot expect significant improvement in air quality.