Vehicles the top polluters this Diwali
Vehicles top polluters in Delhi during Diwali week,
High peak traffic for long hours due to surge in vehicle numbers
Despite vehicles becoming the top polluter, action ontransport remains the weakest
Among local pollution sources in Delhi, vehicles caused half of Delhi’s own contribution to PM2.5 during Diwali week (21-26 October)When pollution concentration from all sources (local, NCR and beyond) are added, Delhi’s vehicles account for nearly 17 per cent of total PM2.5 concentrationHigh traffic load during Diwali week increased congestion for long hours -- from 12 noon to 8 pm -- flattening the congestion peaksWith high traffic on pre-Diwali days, average speed plummeted to 27 km per hour against the design standard of 60 km/hr or regulated speed of 40 km/hr. On some stretches ...