Eleven coal-fired power plants in National Capital Region countries just 7% to Delhi's pollution on an average between October 2020 and January 2021, while vehciles contributed 14% according to a new study. The findings are significant considering that Delhi government had recently moved the supreme court, seeking closure of the coal-fired power plants in the vicinity of the city using outdated polluting technology. The Union environment ministry had issued a notification with amended rules allowing thermal power plants within 10 kilometers of NCR and in cities with more than 10 lakh population to comply with new emission norms by the end of 2022. It its latest analysis, council for energy, environment and water delhi-based not-for-profit policy research institution, said, Given the directives by Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority on account of Graded Response Action Plan implementatio and presumably low demand due to lockdown, the power plants also operated at much lower levels in October and November 2020. We found that energy generation from NCR coal-fired plants was 25 and 70% lower in October and November respectively, compared with the corresponding months in 2019 implying a lower contribution in these months, the report read. The research team of Adeel Khan found that the average contribution of emissions from the 11 powers plants in Delhi-NCR was 7% between October 2020 and January 2021. However once the fuss about air quality dissipated and demand picked up, the daily energy generation levels scaled up to levels in December. The share of vehicular emissions to Delhi's PM 2.5% pollution was 14% on an average between October 2020. According to the study, a relatively longer stubble-burning period and unfavourable meterological conditions were primarily responsible for Delhi's worsening air quality in winters last years.
