NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, on Thursday, October 15, initiated a new anti-pollution campaign to encourage automobilists to switch off vehicles at traffic signals. This initiative was made to reduce the air pollution in Delhi. According to experts, if this campaign is actively followed by at least one million of 10 million registered vehicles in Delhi, 1.5 tons of PM10 emissions and 0.4 tons of PM2.5 emissions will be reduced every year.
Kejriwal added that on an average, a car running in neutral, waiting at a traffic signal, ends up exhausting around 200 mililitre of fuel. It is suggested by the experts that a person can save up to Rs 7, 000 a year by switching off the vehicle while waiting at a traffic signal. Kejriwal has also requested people to join the campaign so that the distress caused by COVID-19 is not worsened by pollution. He has also requested people to comply with the measures introduced to control the pollution caused by local sources by practicing the tree plantation policy and anti-dust strategy.
Mukti Advani, principal scientist at the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), mentioned that for more desirable results of this initiative, countdown timers should be installed at all traffic signals and the authorities must make sure that these countdown timers function properly. She added that Delhi, however, needs to adopt other ways to reduce the congestion on the roads. These methods include the development of a better public transport system and making sure that vehicles are not parked in unpermitted spaces for increasing road capacity.