Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a new anti-pollution campaign on Thursday whereby motorists will be encouraged to turn off vehicles while waiting for lights to turn green on road signs.
“It has been seen that we often do not turn off the engines of our vehicles while waiting at traffic lights. That is called inactive. The ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign will aim to achieve a behavioral change in this regard. It will help reduce air pollution, ”Kejriwal said at a video news conference.
He added: “Around 10 million vehicles are registered in Delhi. Even if one million of them actively follow the campaign, experts suggest that it can reduce PM10 emissions by 1.5 tons per year and PM2.5 emissions by 0.4 tons per year.
“Idling (waiting at a traffic light with the engine running) consumes more fuel than normal driving. On average, a car is left idling for about 15-20 minutes a day, and that ends up using up at least 200ml of fuel. Experts have suggested that 7,000 rupees a year can be saved by avoiding idling, ”said the prime minister.
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While calling on all motorists to join the campaign, Kejriwal said: “Covid-19 has caused anguish among people, let’s make sure pollution doesn’t make things worse.”
“Burning crop stubble in neighboring states creates pollution in Delhi. That has been the case for years. There is not much we can do for other states, but we are taking every possible step to control local sources of pollution by implementing an anti-dust strategy, a tree transplant policy, an electric vehicle policy, and the decomposition of crop stubble. using new technology. This campaign will be one more step towards reducing pollution ”, he said.
How the campaign will be implemented is being defined, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said later that day. “This campaign has the potential to reduce vehicle pollution by 15-20%. We will begin to work on the campaign roadmap from Friday, after a meeting with all senior officials, “he said.
Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Center for Science and Environment, said: “For this campaign to work in terms of behavior change, it is very important to make sure that the road signs have timers and that the timers work. Various survey estimates have shown that reducing idling can lead to energy savings and less toxic exposure to particulates, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide. “
Mukti Advani, Principal Scientist at the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), said: “Turning off the engines will reduce fuel consumption as waiting at any traffic light can exceed 20 seconds. In 2018, CRRI carried out an idling awareness campaign together with the Petroleum Conservation and Research Association and examined 100 intersections in the city over a six-month period. “
“It is recommended that these awareness campaigns be carried out regularly. An appropriate number of countdown timers must be placed correctly for best results, ”Advani said, citing the survey findings.
“However, Delhi needs to find alternative ways to decongest its roads; mainly by reducing the number of private vehicles and providing better public transport. The road capacity should be improved by eliminating the invasions like parked vehicles and vehicles breaking down on the road, etc. “, He said.
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