Geo-Thermal

Geo-Thermal

Geo-Thermal Energy
Geothermal Energy is heat stored in earth crust and being used for electric generation and also for direct heat application worldwide since beginning of last century. USA, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Italy and Iceland are leading countries availing commercial exploitation with world production 12000 MW ^[1]. For harnessing Geothermal energy in the country the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been supporting R&D on exploration activities and Resource Assessment during last 25 years. This includes formation of expert groups, working group, core group and committees in addition to providing financial support for such projects and for resource assessment. MNRE is targeting for deployment of Geo-thermal capacity of 1000 MW_th in the initial phase till 2022. Resource Assessment is being planned in 2016-2017 for public domain.  
The objective of the programme is to assess the potential of geothermal resources in the country and to harness these resources in two distinct categories namely
(i) Power Production
Government of India, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) contemplate major initiative in RDD&D of Geothermal technology for harnessing the geothermal energy in the country for the period 2015-17. Geothermal electricity generation is site and technology specific and India is in Low Geothermal Potential Region with low/medium heat enthalpy ^[12]. Government is planning to encourage the demonstration projects at the first stage to assess the technical viability of the project before going to the commercial models.
Various resource assessment carried out by GSI, UNDP and NGRI under aegis of CEA,UNDP & MNRE established the potential 10600 MW_th /1000MW_e spread over 340 hot springs across seven Geothermal provinces/11 states ^[2][14]. The average rough capital cost on not exceeding basis stands 30 Cr per MW (Rs 12 per KWhr) ^[18]. As per the international reports a 1 MW Geothermal Power Plant generates about 8.3 Millions Units (MU) per MW per annum ^[13] compared to Solar 1.6 MU per MW, Wind 1.9 MU per MW and Hydro 3.9 MU per MW

Ocean Energy 1. Introduction to Ocean Energy

Ocean Energy

1.    Introduction to Ocean Energy  

  

                 Oceans cover 70 percent of the earth’s surface and represent an enormous amount of energy in the form of wave, tidal, marine current and thermal gradient. The energy potential of our seas and oceans well exceeds our present energy needs. India has a long coastline with the estuaries and gulfs where tides are strong enough to move turbines for electrical power generation. A variety of different technologies are currently under development throughout the world to harness this energy in all its forms including waves (40,000 MW), tides (9000 MW) and thermal gradients (180,000 MW). Deployment is currently limited but the sector has the potential to grow, fuelling economic growth, reduction of carbon footprint and creating jobs not only along the coasts but also inland along its supply chains.  

 

            As Government of India steps up its effort to reach the objectives to contemplate its Renewable Energy and climate change objectives post 2022, it is opportune to explore all possible avenues to stimulate innovation, create economic growth and new jobs as well as to reduce our carbon footprint. Given the long-term energy need through this abundant source, action needs to be taken now on RDD&D front in order to ensure that the ocean energy sector can play a meaningful part in achieving our objectives in coming decades. MNRE looks over the horizon at a promising new technology and considers the various options available to support its development. Over 100 different ocean energy technologies are currently under development in more than 30 countries. Most types of technologies are currently at demonstration stage or the initial stage of commercialization.   

2.    Programme Objectives   
            The objective of the programme is to accelerate and enhance support for the research, development, resource assessment, testing and deployment of ocean energy in the country and to harness it for power generation and to overcome the barriers by encouraging collaboration between the technology developers, investors and other stakeholders so as to bridge the gap between research and the market. Resource Assessment is being planned in 2015-18 for public domain in association with IIT’s, NIOT and alike Government Research Institute to expedite the potential analysis and site identification in coordination with MNRE.  
3.    History    

• Total identified potential of Tidal Energy is about 9000 MW in West Coast Gulf of Cambay (7000 MW), Gulf of Kutch (1200 MW) and in East Coast the Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans in West Bengal for small scale tidal power development estimates the potential in this region to be about 100 MW.
• The total available potential of wave energy in India along the 6000 Km of India’s coast is estimated to be about 40,000 MW – these are preliminary estimates. This energy is however less intensive than what is available in more northern and southern latitudes.
• In 2000 NIOT Goa, launched a programme to conduct study on technologies for producing high quality clean drinking water and energy from the ocean. The objective was to generate 2 - 3 lakh litres per day freshwater using the Low Temperature Thermal Desalination technology by 1 MW OTEC Power Plant. But it was dropped due to difficulties in installations.
• In 2010 Kalpasar Tidal Power Project at The Gulf of Khambhat was identified as a promising site for tidal power generation by UNDP Expert.
• In Jan 2011, the state of Gujarat announced plans to install Asia’s first commercial-scale tidal current power plant; the state government approved the construction of a 50 MW project in the Gulf of Kutch.
• None at the moment, but India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said in Feb 2011 that it may provide financial incentives for as much as 50 percent of the cost for projects seeking to demonstrate tidal power.
• In 2014 Atlantis Energy proposed to install and develop 50-200 MW Tidal stream based power plant at Gulf of Chambey.

 4.    Technology             Although currently under-utilised, Ocean energy is mostly exploited by just a few technologies: Wave, Tidal, Current Energy and Ocean Thermal Energy.  
a)    Wave Energy   
            Wave energy is generated by the movement of a device either floating on the surface of the ocean or moored to the ocean floor. Many different techniques for converting wave energy to electric power have been studied. Wave conversion devices that float on the surface have joints hinged together that bend with the waves. This kinetic energy pumps fluid through turbines and creates electric power. Stationary wave energy conversion devices use pressure fluctuations produced in long tubes from the waves swelling up and down. This bobbing motion drives a turbine when critical pressure is reached. Other stationary platforms capture water from waves on their platforms. This water is allowed to runoff through narrow pipes that flow through a typical hydraulic turbine. Wave energy is proving to be the most commercially advanced of the ocean energy technologies with a number of companies competing for the lead.  
b)    Tidal Energy   
           The tidal cycle occurs every 12 hours due to the gravitational force of the moon. The difference in water height from low tide and high tide is potential energy. Similar to traditional hydropower generated from dams, tidal water can be captured in a barrage across an estuary during high tide and forced through a hydro-turbine during low tide. To capture sufficient power from the tidal energy potential, the height of high tide must be at least five meters (16 feet) greater than low tide. There are only approximately 20 locations on earth with tides this high and India is one of them. The Gulf of Cambay and the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat on the west coast have the maximum tidal range of 11m and 8m with average tidal range of 6.77m and 5.23m respectively.  
   
c)     Current Energy   
Marine current is ocean water moving in one direction. This ocean current is known as the Gulf Stream. Tides also create currents that flow in two directions. Kinetic energy can be captured from the Gulf Stream and other tidal currents with submerged turbines that are very similar in appearance to miniature wind turbines. As with wind turbines, the constant movement of the marine current moves the rotor blades to generate electric power.  
   
d)      Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)   
            Ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, uses ocean temperature differences from the surface to depths lower than 1,000 meters, to extract energy. A temperature difference of only 20°C can yield usable energy. Research focuses on two types of OTEC technologies to extract thermal energy and convert it to electric power: closed cycle and open cycle. In the closed cycle method, a working fluid, such as ammonia, is pumped through a heat exchanger and vaporized. This vaporized steam runs a turbine. The cold water found at the depths of the ocean condenses the vapor back to a fluid where it returns to the heat exchanger. In the open cycle system, the warm surface water is pressurized in a vacuum chamber and converted to steam to run the turbine. The steam is then condensed using cold ocean water from lower depths. OTEC has a potential installed capacity of 180,000 MW in India.  
    

BIOMASS POWER AND COGENERATION PROGRAMME

BIOMASS POWER AND COGENERATION PROGRAMME

1. INTRODUCTION

Biomass has always been an important energy source for the country considering the benefits it offers. It is renewable, widely available, carbon-neutral and has the potential to provide significant employment in the rural areas. Biomass is also capable of providing firm energy. About 32% of the total primary energy use in the country is still derived from biomass and more than 70% of the country’s population depends upon it for its energy needs. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has realised the potential and role of biomass energy in the Indian context and hence has initiated a number of programmes for promotion of efficient technologies for its use in various sectors of the economy to ensure derivation of maximum benefits Biomass power generation in India is an industry that attracts investments of over Rs.600 crores every year, generating more than 5000 million units of electricity and yearly employment of more than 10 million man-days in the rural areas. For efficient utilization of biomass, bagasse based cogeneration in sugar mills and biomass power generation have been taken up under biomass power and cogeneration programme.

Biomass power & cogeneration programme is implemented with the main objective of promoting technologies for optimum use of country’s biomass resources for grid power generation. Biomass materials used for power generation include bagasse, rice husk, straw, cotton stalk, coconut shells, soya husk, de-oiled cakes, coffee waste, jute wastes, groundnut shells, saw dust etc.

2. POTENTIAL

The current availability of biomass in India is estimated at about 500 millions metric tones per year. Studies sponsored by the Ministry has estimated surplus biomass availability at about 120 – 150 million metric tones per annum covering agricultural and forestry residues corresponding to a potential of about 18,000 MW. This apart, about 7000 MW additional power could be generated through bagasse based cogeneration in the country’s 550 Sugar mills, if these sugar mills were to adopt technically and economically optimal levels of cogeneration for extracting power from the bagasse produced by them

3. TECHNOLOGY

3.1 Combustion

The thermo chemical processes for conversion of biomass to useful products involve combustion, gasification or pyrolysis. The most commonly used route is combustion. The advantage is that the technology used is similar to that of a thermal plant based on coal, except for the boiler. The cycle used is the conventional ranking cycle with biomass being burnt in high pressure boiler to generate steam and operating a turbine with generated steam. The net power cycle efficiencies that can be achieved are about 23-25%. The exhaust of the steam turbine can either be fully condensed to produce power, or used partly or fully for another useful heating activity. The latter mode is called cogeneration. In India, cogeneration route finds application mainly in industries.\

Sugar industry has been traditionally practicing cogeneration by using bagasse as a fuel. With the advancement in the technology for generation and utilization of steam at high temperature and pressure, sugar industry can produce electricity and steam for their own requirements. It can also produce significant surplus electricity for sale to the grid using same quantity of bagasse. For example, if steam generation temperature/pressure is raised from 400oC/33 bar to 485oC/66 bar, more than 80 KWh of additional electricity can be produced for each ton of cane crushed. The sale of surplus power generated through optimum cogeneration would help a sugar mill to improve its viability, apart from adding to the power generation capacity of the country.

4. DEPLOYMENT

The Ministry has been implementing biomass power/co-generation programme since mid nineties. A total of approximately 500 biomass power and cogeneration projects aggregating to 4760 MW capacity have been installed in the country for feeding power to the grid. In addition, around 30 biomass power projects aggregating to about 350 MW are under various stages of implementation. Around 70 Cogeneration projects are under implementation with surplus capacity aggregating to 800 MW. States which have taken leadership position in implementation of bagasse cogeneration projects are Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The leading States for biomass power projects are Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Transforming 115 backward districts across the country

Transforming 115 backward districts across the country

First Meeting of Prabhari Officers on 24th November

In keeping with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a New India by 2022, Government has embarked upon a major policy initiative for the rapid transformation of 115 backward districts across the country. Senior Government officials in the rank of the rank of Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary have been designated as Prabhari Officers or the in-charge to coordinate the efforts of the Centre and the states in addressing the specific developmental needs of the districts.

The First meeting of the Prabhari Officers entrusted with the responsibility to co-ordinate the efforts of the Centre and the States towards rapid transformation of 115 backward districts across the country will be held tomorrow on Friday, the 24th November. Cabinet Secretary, PKSinha will chair the meeting with the CEO of the NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant. Secretaries of key Ministries would also attend this session. Home Secretary will also brief the Prabhari Officers. Among the 115 backward districts, 35 are affected by Left Wing Violence. Shortly after this event, meeting of representatives of the State Governments and Prabhari officers is being organised to ensure that transformation of backward district in India is carried out by a dedicated team of Central and State governments.

Background:

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given a Vision for a new and vibrant India by 2022, the year when India celebrates its 75th year of Independence. Inclusive development and improving the liveability of all are integral part of this vision. One of the initiatives in this regard is to make a dramatic improvement in overall socio-economic development of backward districts. The strategy envisaged is to adopt a focussed approach, ensure convergence of efforts of the Central, State and local Government and establish a real time monitoring mechanism to focus on outcomes that matter to common people in these districts beside giving rise to a virtuous cycle of economic development.

A total of 115 districts have been identified for this purpose on the basis of objective criteria. Such criteria include education, health, nutrition basic infrastructure like rural road connectivity, rural household electrification, access to potable water and individual toilets etc. These districts include 35 districts which are affected by violence by Left Wing Extremists. Besides, while selecting these districts, it has been ensured that Ministries of Government of India, implementing social sector Scheme would select at least one most backward districts in every State for extending the reach of the programme in different part of the country. Improvement in one district is likely to spur similar growth in neighbouring districts through demonstration effect.

Under this initiative, for all these 115 districts, senior level Government officers (Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary) have been nominated as Prabhari officers. It has been envisaged that using their experience, these officers would form a team with representatives of the State Governments and would also act as a bridge between Centre and the State. States have been accordingly requested to nominate senior level functionary for each district. States are the main drivers of this program.

12th Standing Committee of Inter-State Council meeting

12th Standing Committee of Inter-State Council meeting tomorrow

Recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State Relations to be discussed

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh to chair the 12th Standing Committee meeting of the Inter-State Council (ISC), here tomorrow.

The Standing Committee is chaired by the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and has the Union Ministers of External Affairs Smt Sushma Swaraj, Finance & Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley, Road, Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari and Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot and Chief Ministers of States of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh as members.

The meeting will discuss the recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State Relations.

The 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of ISC was held on April 09 this year after a gap of 11 years. The convening of the Standing Committee meetings twice in the same year reflects the importance attached to the promotion of harmonious Centre-State relations. Representatives of 30 Union Ministries/Departments and 7 State Governments have also been invited to assist the Committee in its deliberations. At the meeting, the views of the State Governments and the Union Ministries/Departments will be considered along with the recommendations made by the Punchhi Commission and then the Standing Committee will finalise its recommendations.

India’s changing approach to global governance

India’s changing approach to global governance
India is increasingly unwilling to tolerate the old boys club with its closed membership
In 1996, India contested for a seat on the UN Security Council and lost to Japan by a big margin. The solidarity among developing countries came up short against what Indian officials called Japan’s “dollar diplomacy”, as Poorvi Chitalkar and David M. Malone note in The Oxford Handbook Of Indian Foreign Policy. More than two decades later, India has won a re-election of its candidate Dalveer Bhandari at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Britain. India’s appeal among developing and underdeveloped countries did indeed help. But so did India’s increased economic heft.

New Delhi’s desire to play a larger role in global governance is not a new phenomenon. This desire has come coupled with a clear preference for multilateralism. The approach in Jawaharlal Nehru’s years was characterized by high idealism. Global objectives like decolonization and disarmament were deemed important. But what India clearly lacked was material resources. Moral grandstanding, which New Delhi resorted to, proved to be an inadequate substitute. After Nehru’s demise, India began to look inwards. But the tendency to indulge in global activism did surface from time to time.

India’s enthusiasm for multilateral global governance did not bear fruit in terms of forwarding its own national interests. The best example comes from the UN. Nehru viewed it as the key to global peace and development. When some countries raised objections to inequitable distribution of power within the UN Security Council, Nehru thwarted them by raising the fear that rocking the boat would lead to the collapse of the UN. Unpersuaded by the realist logic that a stronger country should not involve a third party in a dispute with a weaker country, Nehru referred the Kashmir problem to the UN. To his great shock, the UN did not back India’s sovereignty claims over Kashmir.

India faced similar setbacks in other multilateral fora. Despite all its claims of speaking on the behalf of developing countries, India failed to get its crucial demands met in the negotiations for the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (Trips). Moreover, India also earned the ire of developed nations for its—in Stephen Cohen’s words—“unrealistic combination of arrogance and poverty”. India’s approach to nuclear disarmament was even more puzzling. Rajiv Gandhi’s disarmament campaign was as foolish in its negligence of geopolitical realities as it was bold in its ambition. It seemed as if disarmament advocacy deluded India into a belief that its own security challenges would be taken care of. Unsurprisingly, the end results—Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)—were deeply disappointing.

India’s record of engagement with the Bretton Woods institutions—the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund—has been better. But even here, its demands for voice and vote reforms to give greater say to emerging economies have fallen on deaf ears. The climate change negotiations started with a bounty for developing countries: the Kyoto Protocol in the mid-1990s recognized that the developed countries would bear the maximum burden of climate change mitigation. But by 2015 in Paris, that consensus was clearly overturned. However, by now, India had realized that it could not merely continue with persistent complaints.

New Delhi is now gradually shifting its approach to global governance and multilateralism. The primary objective of this new approach is to help shape the global rules and external realities in favour of India’s economic growth and strategic interests. For this purpose, India is simultaneously moving on three parallel tracks. First, New Delhi demands that the representation in global governance institutions should reflect the realities of today, not of 1945. It now campaigns aggressively for permanent membership in the UN Security Council. The victory in the ICJ against a permanent member will bolster India’s claim to the seat. Along with greater votes in Bretton Woods institutions, India also seeks membership in global export control regimes like the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Second, India has been willing to partner with other countries, including China, to shape new institutions that are challenging the frozen post World War II order. India’s membership in Brics (the multilateral grouping comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) was a reflection of frustration with lack of movement of reforms in the old institutions. It has played a key role in the formations of both Brics’ New Development Bank and the China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank where it is the second largest shareholder. India’s recent entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can be interpreted in a similar vein.

Third, India’s membership in these new institutions does not mean that it is, like China, aiming to mount a fundament challenge to the political West. This is clear from India staying out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative that has clear geopolitical ambitions. India is open to strengthening the liberal, democratic order in concert with the Western powers. Its recent partnership with Japan for building the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is a case in point.

At the same time, India is increasingly unwilling to tolerate the old boys club with its closed membership. The conquest of the crumbling fortress of a declining power in the ICJ shows that New Delhi is ready to push the door open if mere knocking does not suffice.

Has India become more pragmatic in its approach to global governance institutions?

Delhi’s air pollution is both a challenge and an opportunity

Delhi’s air pollution is both a challenge and an opportunity
Success in tackling Delhi’s air pollution could provide a template for making other cities liveable—an essential requirement for attracting investment and generating quality jobs
Air pollution in Delhi has dominated the headlines over the past few weeks and rightly so. The problem is especially urgent because Delhi is not the only polluted city in the country. Eleven of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India. Given the massive expansion we expect in the urban population over the next 20 years, and the need to attract investment to create quality jobs, we need to make our cities liveable and attractive to tourists. Success in Delhi could provide a much needed template for the other cities.

Awareness of the problem

Recognizing the problem is the first step towards corrective action and there is progress in this area. A few years ago, an American journalist stationed in Delhi wrote a farewell piece saying that he was leaving Delhi because the air pollution monitors in the US embassy showed that staying in the Capital would put his children’s health at risk. There was an outburst of nationalistic outrage that the embassy was probably exaggerating the problem. Since then, a number of government monitoring stations have been established in Delhi and they confirm that the problem is indeed serious.

Click here for enlarge
The figure above reports the level of air pollution by PM 2.5 particles at the Siri Fort station in New Delhi for the 12 months from mid-November 2016 to mid-November 2017. The sharp spikes when readings go off the chart are frightening and attract headlines but the real problem is not these emergency situations. It is that the average for the year, at 142, is far too high. It is more than three times the national standard of 40, and 14 times the stricter WHO (World Health Organization) standard of 10. If the monsoon months are excluded, most of the readings are consistently in the unhealthy range.

Medical experts in India have warned that children exposed to this level of pollution will develop asthmatic problems much earlier than normal. Pregnant women exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to deliver low birth weight babies, with all the permanent health problems that it causes. Senior citizens are also at risk.

Many activists have been working hard at raising consciousness and even pushing the judiciary to act. But judicial pushing can only go so far. It is useful in cases where prohibition of activities is all that is needed. It cannot devise a carefully crafted strategy operating on many fronts. This is for the government to do and then implement.

Can pollution be controlled?

Until a few years ago, Beijing was more polluted than Delhi. There were many stories in the international press about the very high levels of pollution in the run up to the prestigious 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Chinese government took firm action to control local industrial pollution, reduce the use of coal in power plants, and also restrain the sale of cars in Beijing. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (Nasa) satellite data show a 17% decline in the concentration of fine particulate matter over China between 2010 and 2015. The same data show an increase of 13% over India in the same period. Pollution in China is still bad, but it is seen to be slowly coming under control whereas it is rising in India.

An action plan for Delhi

If we want to bring pollution down from the average of 142 to the national standard of 40, we need to (a) reduce pollution by as much as 72% and (b) ensure that it stays at that level notwithstanding growth of population and economic activity. This will require action on a massive scale by many central ministries and Delhi state government bodies acting on different areas.

The Environmental (Prevention and Control of) Pollution Authority (EPCA), established by the Supreme Court, has prepared a comprehensive multi-dimensional action plan for control of pollution in Delhi. It includes proposals for shifting to cleaner vehicles and fuels, restraining the growth in cars and expanding public transport as an alternative, stopping pollution from coal-based power plants, controlling pollution from industry, putting a stop to burning garbage, preventing pollution from construction activities and controlling burning of crop residues in neighbouring states. Some of the actions have to be taken by the central government and others by the Delhi state government and local bodies. Actions that have to be taken by the central government are also spread across different ministries.

Road dust contributes about 38% of the pollution. This component is particularly difficult to control since it reflects both poor road conditions with unpaved footpaths, and the use of traditional technology—hand-held brooms—for sweeping the streets. Such sweeping can shift litter to one side, to be collected separately. It does little to control road dust. It only throws it up in clouds and shifts it to the side, from where it is disturbed again by traffic through the day. Vacuum cleaning devices attached to mechanical sweepers will help, but that would require massive investment in equipment, which may be beyond the funding budget of the municipality. Similarly, proposals for sprinkling water over all the roads in the city would run into water-availability constraints.

Vehicle emissions account for 20% of the pollution and this component is likely to increase as the number of cars multiplies. There is much that could be done in this area. The decision to advance BS VI fuel to 2018 for Delhi, and 2020 for the whole country, is a welcome move. It needs to be accompanied by action to ensure that new cars are all equipped with engines designed for BS VI fuel. The two together will reduce particulate pollution by 70% to 80%. However, since the large stock of older cars will remain for many years, and the total number of cars is also expected to expand, the total pollution load from automobiles may not come down sufficiently over the near future. There is no alternative to actively discouraging car ownership and plan a massive shift to public transport in the capital.

Discouraging car ownership calls for many tough decisions. We need to increase the taxation of cars by introducing an annual or biannual licence fee, as we have for buses. We also need to introduce higher parking charges in the areas of the city that are congested and the charges should be high enough to discourage car usage. We need to eliminate the current favourable tax treatment of diesel compared with petrol to discourage the trend to use diesel vehicles, especially SUVs. The WHO has classified diesel as a No.1 carcinogenic, along with tobacco. Diesel need not be banned since its use in sparsely populated areas will not create excessive pollution, but it should definitely be discouraged in urban locations. A higher licence fee could be prescribed for diesel vehicles.

In the longer run, electrification of cars and scooters will solve the problem, but even if all cars sold from 2030 onwards are electric, it will be a long time before a substantial portion of the stock of cars becomes electric. To accelerate adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) we should announce that all taxis and three wheelers must compulsorily be made electric in Delhi, as soon as such vehicles become available.

Discouragement of cars needs to be accompanied by a parallel effort to expand bus and Metro services. This is widely supported, but it runs into financial constraints. The EPCA has recommended the creation of an urban transport fund to upgrade public transport. All receipts from parking charges, and also the licence fee on cars and buses should be paid into this fund. Those who support public transport often baulk at measures to raise funds to finance it. The Central government could offer to provide matching funds equal to what is raised by the cities.

We should definitely consider ending the use of coal in power plants located close to Delhi. There are gas-based power plants which are under-utilized partly because the utility prefers to buy lower priced coal-based electricity, and partly because gas is not available. Gas could be imported, but this will make gas-based power even more expensive. A regulatory intervention forcing coal-based plants to shut down, ensuring adequate supply of gas, and most importantly, allowing the price of electricity to rise, is needed. Higher energy prices will be resented but they are essential if we want to shift to more energy- efficient outcomes. The present cess on coal needs to be increased steadily over time.

Tough action is also needed to control of industrial pollution. Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment has been conducting a one-woman battle to ban the import of Pet coke, an exceptionally dirty fuel which is banned in the US, but which is freely imported by us (from the US) and used by many smaller industries. The use of Pet coke is banned in Delhi, and we can monitor domestic refineries to ensure that they don’t sell the Pet coke they produce in Delhi. However, if large quantities are allowed to be imported, the ban on its use can only be enforced in Delhi by policing the consumers, which is near impossible. An outright ban on the import of this dirty fuel is a low-hanging fruit

Burning mixed municipal waste in Delhi is highly polluting. We need to shift within the next three years to an effective system of separating municipal waste into biodegradable waste which can be converted into compost and energy, recyclable waste including plastic which can be recycled, inert waste which can be converted into refuse-derived fuel for power generation, and residual non-combustible waste which has to go to scientific landfills. This is a challenge for the Delhi government which it should take on.

Since many ministries are involved, the ministry of environment should be tasked with (a) identifying the actions planned by different ministries, (b) estimating the effect of these actions on the trajectory of pollution, (c) determining whether the resulting trajectory is acceptable as a national commitment towards reaching the national target, and if not pushing for stronger action, and finally (d) monitoring progress on an agreed trajectory to see if pollution is indeed being reduced as projected. If progress is unsatisfactory, then the ministries have to go back to the drawing board.

Something along these lines would put us on a credible path to reducing pollution over time. It will take time, but at least we will know when we can start breathing easy. Anyone who doubts whether the costs are worth it should consider that researchers have concluded that if Delhi’s air pollution could be lowered to the national standard, it would increase the life expectancy of Delhi’s citizens by six years.