Pollution worse in Indian cities as registered vehicles up by 700 times since 1951: Study

NEW DELHI: Exposure to toxic vehicular pollution has worsened in India due to staggering pace of motorisation, with the number of registered vehicles going up 700 times from 0.3 million in 1951 to 210 million in 2015, a study has said.

The study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) titled ‘At The Crossroads’ — has revealed that the growing number of private vehicles without adequate public transport in cities will lock in enormous amounts of pollution and carbon.

“Even when vehicles are emerging as a serious source of exposure in cities, solution at a scale has remained a challenge. This is a serious national issue as India is in the grip of a staggering pace of motorisation,” it said.

“It took 60 years (1951 to 2008) for India to cross the mark of 105 million registered vehicles. But thereafter, the same number was added in a mere six years (2009–15). The number of vehicles in India has increased 700 times — from 0.3 million in 1951 to 210 million in 2015,” it said.

According to the study, the number of cars registered in India between 1951 and 2005 stood at 10.3 million and cars almost twice that number were registered in just ten years — 20 million from 2006 to 2015.

It said the number of two-wheelers registered in India from 1951 to 2004 was 51.9 million, more than twice the number of those registered from 2005 to 2015. As many as 102 million two-wheelers were registered during the 10-year period.

“If cars and two-wheelers are combined, the personal motorisation rate in India would exceed that of many advanced countries. Automobile dependence will worsen exposure to toxic vehicular pollution,” the study said. (AGENCIES)

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