AUTOMOBILE POLLUTION

Automobile pollution is the introduction of harmful material into the environment. Pollutants
produced by vehicles exhausts include carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides,
particles, volatile organic compounds and sulphur dioxide. Hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides
react with sunlight and warm temperature from ground-level ozone.

Internal combustion engines need a mixture of air and fuel to burn and produce energy to
move the vehicle. Gases that spew from automobiles pollute atmosphere and are fast making
the environment a place unfit for living. A combination of un-burnt Hydrocarbons, Carbon
Monoxide, oxides of Nitrogen combine to spread an obnoxious mixture. These burnt gases
which come out of the exhaust have the potential to cause pollution. In petrol engines, the
gases comprise of a mixture of un-burnt hydrocarbon (HC), Carbon Monoxide (CO), oxides
of Nitrogen (NO). Within a certain range they are acceptable, but when the engine is not
tuned properly, or a vehicle uses obsolete technology, or the quality of fuel is not good, all
these result in a higher level of emission of all the gases. When in excess quantities these tend
to cause automobile pollution.

If the air fuel mixture ratio is not correct then it increases the chances of pollute as it leads to
inefficient burning. Also it leads to reduced power and fuel wastage, which in turn means less
efficient performance of the engine alongwith lower fuel economy Important parameters
affecting quality of emission from automobiles are vehicular technology, fuel type and
quality, Inspection and maintenance of in-use vehicles and road and traffic conditions. The
quality also varies with the type of engine and load.

Prescribed standards are supposed to take care of all these possibilities. Test conditions
defined in corresponding driving cycles. Further, the intake air, having significant
concentrations of the pollutants and relative deficiency of oxygen particularly in high
polluted urban areas, may also yield test results showing even in non-polluting vehicles.

Pollution has cast its ominous shadow across length and breadth of India; there is smog
everywhere. It is a choking sensation time one ventures out into the streets, Delhi is one of
the most polluted cities of the world, with Mumbai coming a close second.

Pollution Hazards and Human Health: The major pollutants emitted by motor vehicles
include Carbon monoxide (CO), Oxides of nitrogen (NO), sulphur oxides, (SO), hydrocarbon
(HC), lead (Pb) and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM). These pollutants have damaging
effects on both human health and ecology. The human health effects of air pollution vary in
the degree severity, covering a range of minor effects to serious illness, as well as premature
death in certain cases. Most of the conventional air pollutants are believed to directly alter the
respiratory and cardio-vascular systems. In particular, high levels of SO, and SPM are
associated with increased mortality, morbidity and impaired pulmonary function, reduces
haemoglobin synthesis in red blood cells in bone marrow, impairs liver and kidney function
and causes neurological damage.

Pollutants: Effects on Human Health

Carbon monoxide can affect the cardio-vascular system, exacerbating cardio-vascular disease
symptoms, may also particularly affect foetuses, sickle cell anaemic and young children, can
affect the central nervous system, impairing physical coordination, vision and judgement,
Creating nausea and headaches, reducing worker productivity and Increasing personal
discomfort

Nitrogen oxides [NO] & Sulphur oxides:

Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) can affect the respiratory system: Nitrogen monoxide (NO) and
nitrogen dioxide (NO), where they play a part in photochemical same formation, may
contribute indirectly to increased forests susceptibility to infections, pulmonary disease,
impairment of lung function and eye, nose and thread irritations Sulphur dioxide can affect
lung function. NO and NO 2 can contribute significantly to acid deposition damaging aquatic
ecosystems.

Particulate matter

Fine particulate matter may be toxic (SPM and RPM) in itself or may carry toxic including
trace substance, and can alter the immune system. Fine particulate can penetrate deep into the
respiratory system irritating lung disorders and causing long-term problems.

In India, judiciary has also played a very positive and action oriented role to challenge the
growing problem of air pollution in metropolitan cities. Article 48 of the Constitution of India
directs the state to endeavour to protect and improve the environment, the judiciary added a
new climax by recognising the fundamental night to A clean environment and to have
environmental education and Information Judiciary has also evolved the concept of absolute
liability in case of environmental pollution There are about 30 major enactments related to
the protection of environment, which are now being administered by the Central and State
Governments in India

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, is one of The Government of India
has enacted the Environment (Protection) Act. 1986 to provide integrated approach towards
environmental issues in the country and to plug loopholes in the existing acts.

In India, Section 202 to Section 235 of the Clean Air Act of 1970, add 1977 and subsequently
in 1990, focus on the mobile sources of air pollution and place control of motor vehicle
emissions mostly in hands of the Central Government.

Subsequently, for the purpose of controlling the air pollution due to automobiles, certain
norms for different type of vehicles were framed. First set of emission standards in Europe
was formulated in 1970 by Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), EURO norms refer to
the permissible emission levels from both petrol and diesel vehicle, which have been
implemented in Europe. However in India, the government has adopted the EURO norms for
available fuel quality and the method of testing. EURO-1 norms India are known as INDIA
2000 since it was implemented from April 1, 2000.

Indian Standard

The first Indian emission regulations were idle emission limits which became effective in
1989. These idle emission regulations were soon replaced by mass emission limits for both
petrol (1991) and diesel (1992) vehicles, which were gradually tightened during the 1990's.
Since the year 2000, India Introduced Bharat Stage norms.

Every vehicle in India is required to be tested twice a year except in Delhi, where it is to be
tested four times a year.

On October 6, 2003, the National Auto Fuel Policy has been announced, which envisages a
phased program for introducing Euro 2-4 emission and fuel regulations by 2010 and all new
four-wheeled vehicles in 11 cities meet Bharat Stage III emission norms for conventional air
pollutants.

Indian Emissions Standard: The Central Government has mandated that vehicle makers
entrust manufacture, sell and register only BS-VI vehicles from April 1, 2020

India sapped the introduction of stage V equivalent to Euro 5 standard) an substitute to

Steps to Check Automobile Pollution: In an Effort to check automobile pollution in this

Steps to ensure Pollution Levels are in Check

1 Change engine oil at manufacturer recommended intervals or if the vehicle has been lying
unused for a long period.

2 While changing lubricant, make sure you use the recommended brand and important the
grade of oil.

3. If it is a carburetted vehicle, clean and tune the carburettor and adjust the idling speed
every 3000km

4. Check and adjust tappet clearance.

5 Check spark plug clearance, dean and adjust gap. Replace plugs if necessary

6. Check the ignition timing and set as per the manufacturer recommendation

7 Check tire pressure regularly because low tyre pressure causes drag which Increases fuel
consumption.

8 If the vehicle has been parked untied for a long time, have the engine tuned and the engine
oil replaced

Some Do's and Don'ts

1. Avoid unnecessary revving or killing of the engine, it not only increase your fuel
consumption but also increases pollution.
2. 2 Switch off the engine at red-lights or where you are likely to stop for more than two
minutes.
3. Try and drive around the speeds of 50-60 kmph in top gear
4. Speeding increases fuel consumption and this in turn increases pollution
The Alternatives

Aside from modifying the use of ordinary gasoline to decrease emissions, a more promising
tactic is the conversion to other chemicals for fuel Methanol, permit natural gas, and
electricity could all be theoretically utilized with less cost, and more efficiency than ordinary
gasoline. Reduction of use of Both methanol and petroleum would mean 50% less emissions
and 10% more horsepower than ordinary gasoline in automobile but for a 10-20% decrease in
cost Electricity could be used for one-third of gases cost, and producing zero harmful
emissions, yet would cause more pollution to be produced at wherever the electricity was
initially acquired

The most promising conversion, for numerous reasons, is the use of natural gas Its use would
be cheaper than that of gasoline. The conversion of natural gas into a liquid form, using the
Fischer-Tropsch process of synthesis into 'syngas' with oxygen, leads to a diesel form with
less emission than even the newly re-formulated diesel fuel Compared to gasoline, natural gas
would yield 30% less nitrogen oxide, 75% less carbon dside, 80% less hydrocarbons, and
95% less carbon monoxide. It has a higher ignition temperature 1300 F rather than 800°F for
gasoline, causing less leakage and undesired evaporation into the air during transport.

BURNING OF PADDY STRAW

Paddy straw is produced as a by-product of rice production at harvest During harvest, rice
straw is removed with the rice grains and is piled or spread out in the field depending on how
it was harvested, manually or by using machines The paddy crop is harvested between the
first and last weeks of October in Punjab and Haryana.

Every year around this time, the farmers burn paddy stubble able in the Indo- Gangetic plains
of farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to prepare ground for rabi crop sowing.
After harvesting, the rice straw is openly burnt in the fields due to their shortage on funds,
shortage of time and as an easy method of disposal before sowing the next crop. Burning
straw is considered a low-cost solution alternative to tilling in the straw.

Crop residue burning in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh has been known for long,
but nowadays it's spreading more frequently in other parts of country

Wheat stubble burning is a relatively new issue which started with mechanised harvesting
using combine harvesters In the last four to five years, farmers from UP Ghazipur district,
especially, Zamania and Chandauli areas, have been burning wheat stubble at a large scale as
well. In addition to wheat and paddy, sugarcane leaves are most commonly burnt According
to an official report, more than 500 million tonnes of parali (crop residues) is produced
annually in the country, cereal crops (rice, wheat, maize and millets for 70% of the total crop
residue. According to an estimate, 20 million tonnes of rice stubble is produced every year In
Punjab alone. 80% of which is burnt.

Environmental and Health Risk

In the process, they damage soil quality and cause heavy pollution. Traditionally much of the
produced rice straw has specially smoke and greenhouse gases. A study estimates that crop
residue burning released 149.24 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over 9 million tonnes of
carbon monoxide (CO), 0.25 million tonnes of oxide of sulphur (SO), 1.28 million tonnes of
particulate matter and 0.07 million tonnes of black carbon.

According to a report, one tonne stubble burning leads to a loss of 5.5 kg nitrogen 2.3 kg
phosphorus, 25 kg potassium and more than 1 kg of sulphur of soil nutrients including
organic carbon. The heat from burning paddy straw penetrates 1 crn into the soil, elevating
the temperature to 33.8 - 42.2°C. This kills the bacterial and fungal populations critical for a
fertile soil.

Burning of crop residue causes damage to other microorganisms present in the upper layer of
the soil as well as its organic quality Due to the loss of friendly pests, the wrath of enemy'
pests has increased and as a result, crops are more prone to diseases. The solubility capacity
of the upper layers of soil has also been reduced.

Solutions to the Problem

Although straw is traditionally used as bedding for livestock, but as with other organic
wastes, rice straw can be used for feeding the cattle, energy generation including ethanol,
biogas and bio-oil. Instead of burning of the stubble, It can be used in different ways like
compost manure, roofing in rural areas, brick kilns and end products such as pellets, biomass
energy, bio-fuels (bio-ethanol, compressed blog, particle board, mushroom cultivation,
packing materials etc. Paddy straw made into pellets or can be mixed along with coal in
thermal power plants. This saves coal as well as reduces carbon emissions. Farmers can also
manage crop residues effectively by employing agricultural machines. As these machines are
too costly and the state governments should come forward and provide better subsidy so that
farmer can afford these machines.
Measures Taken by the Government

Burning crop residue is a crimé under Section 188 of the IPC and under the Air and Pollution
Control Act of 1981. On December 10, 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned
crop residue burning in the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The
Delhi high court had also ordered against burning residues, while Punjab government
imposed a penalty on 73.2 lakh farmers in 2016 for burning of crop residue. Although the
actual amount of fines charged was not available; farmers continue this making both the soil
and air poisonous.

Though in 2019, the Supreme Court had stated that farmers be compensated (at 100 per
quintal) in case they went in for either in-situ or ex-situ paddy stubble-management A cash
incentive is being offered to farmers to wean them away from stubble-burning Farmers in
Punjab, who do not burn paddy straw, will get a compensation of Rs. 2,500 per acre. The
compensation will be paid in equal parts of 7500 per acre each by the Punjab and Delhi
Governments, while 1,500 per acre will be paid by the Centre as announced in 2021.

Case study

The burning of paddy straw directly contribute to environmental pollution, and are also
responsible for the haze in Delhi and melting of Himalayan glaciers. In first week of
November 2016, in an event known as the Great Smog of Delhi, the air pollution spiked far
beyond acceptable levels. Levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10 particulate matter hit 999 micrograms
per cubic meter, while the safe limits for those pollutants are 60-100, respectively (Indian
express 2016). Delhi's air quality had plunged, as the toxic smoke of the burning of paddy,
Diwali fireworks and the hostile weather conditions all together, trapped the pollutants, which
in turn shrouded the city, severely affecting even visibility. On 15th November 2021 Delhi's
alt quality saw marginal improvement as it reached the lower end of the very poor' category
with air quality index at 318, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting
and Research. Delhi CM. Arvind Kejriwal had announced to shut all the schools along with
government offices for a week due to the severe air pollution. Then again the air quality of
Delhi on 18 November 2021 slipped to the very poor category with the air quality index at
362, the Supreme Court of India reprimanded the central and state governments asking them
to take strict measures to reduce pollution in Delhi and NCR regions.