[Dr.Suraj]

Originally Posted by RGK

Welcome Dr.
My part was very very limited here except a mail by post. The Secretary obliged and acted immediately. Now I have a made a practice of sending feedback and observations once in a while, but only about my regular travelling route (bit selfish here).

Rather than selfish - I would term it to be accurate & 1st hand report.
Its best that you write only about what YOU experience, rather than just be a guy who keeps commenting, grumbling and writing about every damn thing just because he can!

So I thoroughly respect your methods - since I too have regularly started writing to companies with both +ve & -ve feedback.

Originally Posted by alpha1

I have just one thing to write back.
Capitalism.

Deep down - its the wants, the ego and the status that drives capitalism and the "development".
If we were only concerned about our needs, then we would be just wandering like animals foraging fruits and nuts, and probably hunting once in a while.

Its the development (till now) that has lead to the degradation of our environment.

Besides, what one person judges as a need can be judged by other person as a want.


Unless the environmentally favorable technologies are "artificially" given an economic benefit, there is no incentive, in this world fueled by capitalism, to apply it.

WOW !

Well said.
True - the 'greed' has driven us forward (pun intended).
Like they say - the most lazy person comes up with the best inventions.

But - its high time our instincts of self-preservation took over and dominated our desires fuelled by the decline & demise of our own civilization.

Originally Posted by plain.vanilla

I agree with Dr. Suraj's points and a lot of other valuable comments on this thread. I think the only way to get the message across to people to reduce pollution is to use the media. We have seen so many effective adverts on TV. I am sure a set of well made ads played during prime time would help.

The bicycle has lost its charm in India. It is not cool enough anymore. When was the last time you saw a BSA or Hercules type bicycle advert on TV?

Thank you !!!

I totally agree to your last point.

I have been keeping close track of all the bi-cycle related posts on this forum
&
all other bi-cycle related developments
E.g. : Electric Bicycles, Cyclothons etc.


Grace One City e-motorbike review -- Engadget

I do intend to adapt to it when it finally gets feasible.
(read traffic, sweat & safety)

[Screwdriva]

I'll keep this brief - if you want to drive a car, the greenest option is a factory fitted CNG vehicle. Nothing greener outside of a Reva, but whether that can be called a car is still debatable.

Whatever your means of transportation, know that mimizing pollutants will only ever go so far. If you really want to preserve air quality, you need to do more to:

1) Save existing trees
2) Plant new trees

While it may not always be easy, you can definately form a citizens watch for your neighborhood trees. And while you may not be allowed to plant trees on main streets/ lanes, you can definately plant them in your garden/ society compound. Writing letters to societies/ municipal bodies is time consuming, but will almost always get some kind of a reaction.

[joybhowmik]

A step in the right direction? Possibly the way the court is thinking is to take those vehicles off the street that comply to lower emission control norms.
Source

NEW DELHI: ... highlighted the worsening state of Delhi's air, the National Green Tribunal cited the report and issued a slew of directions to immediately address the problem.

Among the 14 measures ordered by the green court on Wednesday was a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles older than 15 years — a move that's likely to take an estimated 10 lakh vehicles off the road. It also barred burning of waste in the open besides placing restrictions on parking and ordering stricter vigil on overloaded trucks entering the city.
NGT said petrol and diesel vehicles more than 15 years old shall not be permitted to on Delhi roads. These vehicles are to be seized by authorities as per the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act.

It also ordered that the RTO shall not renew or issue registration for such vehicles or provide fitness certificates. If any such old vehicle is parked in a public area, it would towed away and challaned, the tribunal said.

[i10]

They should have worked on removing the polluting vehicles from the road, and not necessarily the older ones. There are plenty of commercial (and some private) vehicles plying which leave clouds of smoke wherever they pass through.

[Vishid]

Hi everyone,
This is an old thread, it seems. But, it is clear that the thread didn't garner the attention it deserves. I thought of posting this here, after reading about the USA's abrupt exit from the Paris accord. It is a decision brought about by economical and political reasons, about which the media discusses in abundance. My focus is different.

Pollution, specifically air pollution is caused by many reasons including industrial ones. One of the main sources of air pollution is, as you know, vehicle emission. The recent ban for diesel vehicles above 2000 cc in Delhi is testimony to this fact.
We all are motorheads, who love cars and live cars. But, are we responsible motorheads? This is a good time to introspect.

Reducing pollution is not the government's job alone. Each and every one of us has our own part to play in it. So how can we do it? How can we reduce our carbon footprint?

Technically, we can follow the below methods which will help curb pollution from vehicles:-
1. Not tampering​ with the exhaust system of the vehicle in any manner.
2. Ensuring that the car's catalytic converter is in good shape.
3. Always using a good quality fuel.
4. Decreasing engine idling. (Precisely what systems like Mahindra's 'micro hybrid' aims at ).
5. Regularly​ servicing the vehicle.

There are much more such small steps we can take.

But, apart from all these, the biggest and the most difficult one will be, DRIVE LESS!. Can we do it?
If you believe you can, here are a few small steps towards​ building a greener planet.

1. Walk:
The grocery store 1km away is an opportunity to walk. It will be difficult in the beginning, but later you will enjoy every trip to the place.

2. Use a bicycle:
Believe me, a bicycle can take you places no other vehicle can! Besides being a green vehicle, cycling has many health benefits too.

3. Use the public transport system:
Yes, in most parts of India, they are in an awful condition. But still, in the larger interest of our Earth, can't we use them? Imagine how much fuel you would save, how much less CO, NOx, SOx and unburned hydrocarbons you would release into the air. It is a fair trade.

4. Educate: This is a very important thing we can do. There are so many people around you who are inadvertently contributing to pollution. Just talk to them and make them aware of the importance of the above mentioned steps.

If you are already following these steps, great. However, I know, many of you will feel that the above steps are impractical, difficult and tedious. But, if you really think about it, these steps are not impossible. I also know, that as most of us Live to Drive, this post may seem out of place. But still, if you think you can drive one mile less, and still find the happiness you find now, it will be a great step towards a better, cleaner, and greener future.

Regards
Vishid

[yatin]

Originally Posted by Vishid

...

Reducing pollution is not the government's job alone.

...

But, apart from all these, the biggest and the most difficult one will be, DRIVE LESS!. Can we do it?
If you believe you can, here are a few small steps towards​ building a greener planet.

1. Walk:
The grocery store 1km away is an opportunity to walk. It will be difficult in the beginning, but later you will enjoy every trip to the place.

2. Use a bicycle:
Believe me, a bicycle can take you places no other vehicle can! Besides being a green vehicle, cycling has many health benefits too.

3. Use the public transport system:
Yes, in most parts of India, they are in an awful condition. But still, in the larger interest of our Earth, can't we use them? Imagine how much fuel you would save, how much less CO, NOx, SOx and unburned hydrocarbons you would release into the air. It is a fair trade.

4. Educate: This is a very important thing we can do. There are so many people around you who are inadvertently contributing to pollution. Just talk to them and make them aware of the importance of the above mentioned steps.
...

World over, governments don't seem to do anything by themselves.

I believe the Volkswagen emissions scam was uncovered by a university professor who saw what we see - supposedly PUC vehicles emitting plenty of black smoke, I think many manufacturers are culpable - and decided to check it out for himself.

In our mathrubhoomi, I believe even the Bharat Stage 1 requirement, the setting up of the NGT & the hopefully well-intentioned ban on > 2000cc diesels - all came from the Supreme Court.

DRIVE LESS - has different aspects in Bangalore. Parking constraints ensure that you drive less, but it is debatable whether walking or cycling in polluted air is atleast harmless, or if old public transport vehicles' emissions are less harmful on average. The saving grace might be that the typical Ola/Uber Etios doesn't emit black smoke like many other vehicles. Educating people is out of the question in a high-cost place like Bangalore; believe me, you cannot fruitfully have such conversations in this milieu.

[yatin]

I have been trying to validate my perception of the emissions of passenger vehicles. But is data publicly available?

Say I want to choose between the petrol & the diesel models of a particular car (Platinum Etios for example, ignoring the fact that it will take me a decade to recoup in fuel expenses the additional ₹1.2 lakhs spent on the diesel model purchase). I have no idea what those 2 models emit as measured by the authorities!

Without that data, I decided to assume that both emit the maximum allowed by BS4 norms. I tried to learn about the norms & was taken aback.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhar...sion_standards

Petrol vehicles are allowed to emit 3 times more carbon monoxide than diesel vehicles! And diesels are allowed to emit almost 4 times more nitrous oxide than petrols!

I tried to see which was the lesser of the 2 evils. It seems that not only is CO the bigger evil, by itself & by helping ozone creation in our air, but NO actually destroys ozone. Diesel seems less harmful than petrol, but then its particulate sulphur emissions spoil the picture a little.

It doesn't seem very clear that petrol cars have less harmful emissions than diesel cars. With 2020 BS6 norms mandating a big reduction in sulphur content of diesel fuel & in diesel engine emissions, a diesel hybrid seems like it could be a big improvement.

[gkrishk]

A large portion of the air pollution in urban India comes from commercial vehicles- autorickshaws, LCVs, buses. Converting these to electric vehicles can cut down emissions drastically. Most of these run only short distances. Charging and battery swap facilities could keep them on the go.

[volkman10]

Contributing factors towards pollution:




link