AN ECOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF DELHI

To think of Delhi today, one has to see it in a context of both its changing topography, as
well as it being the capital of one of the fastest changing countries in the world. The city
is attracting global investments, and also will be host to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
It is a city preparing to announce itself as the capital of what many believe will be a
major global economy in the not too distant future.

Delhi has been a location for a city for over a thousand years. The first recent city was
built in 1092 AD at the historic site of the present day Qutab Minar. Sin ce then, several
dynasties made this their home, since the location provided it a unique ecological security
as well as a vantage point over the plains of the Punjab. Set on the banks of the river
Yamuna, which along with the Ganges forms the major river system in North India, it lay
in a bowl cradled by the hilly Ridge on the other side. The Ridge is the teminating point
of the 15 million year old Aravallis which flank the west coast of the country as the
‘Western Ghats’ starting from deep South, terminating in Delhi. Water was key to the
locations of these cities, till recent times, when the British built New Delhi around
Raisina Hill, far away from a natural water source. Today it is a bursting capital of a
nation on the ‘go,’ with a population of over 15 million and growing rapidly.

The Ridge and the river formed a network of ponds, lakes and canals. Some of the drains
flowing through the city today were made as freshwater overflow canals, to absorb the
backflow of the river during the monsoon floods. The river was wild and free, changing
course and expanding its banks each rainy season, depositing fertile alluvial soil on its
banks, the site for farming, some of which continues to this date, though it is fast
disappearing. Large ‘jheels’ dotted the landscape, even till the early ‘70s’ before they
dried up owing to their catchment areas being built upon. Today many of them are filled
and built upon.

Even a couple of decades ago the area surrounding the city was mostly agricultural. One
could ‘drive out’ of the city, and quickly enter into a very rural countryside. This has
dramatically changed. Now the city is increasingly in the midst of a continuous urban
sprawl, with surrounding urbanization extending uninterrupted. Faridabad, Noida,
Gurgaon are now ‘extensions’ to the city, even though they are areas in other states.
People often travel across the border to work in the city, and transport has become a
major bottleneck. Only of late is it being addressed through the building of metro
services, however the increasing number of vehicles (over a 1000 vehicles are added each
day to it’s over 30 million) is causing severe traffic jams with cars being lined up bumper
to bumper during peak hours. The pace of change has been so fast that it is only natural to
see many contradictions and remnants. It is strange to find vegetables and flowers being
cultivated below high speed flyovers and in front of emerging shopping malls, for
example.

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Equity and the Poor

Delhi has over 40% of it citizens living in slum like conditions. Often these habitations
have been inter-seeped amongst more affluent colonies, though over the past decade they
are being systematically being thrown out. The river banks too were till recently a site for
the poor. Along with junk, the poor resided in the margins. As demand for scarce land
sours rising investments, there is an ongoing change in the demographics of colonies and
residential areas. Illegal construction by the middle class has been rampant, who along
with ‘developer’ have grabbed land, and often converted natural water bodies and forests
into private housing. In 2006-7 the Supreme Court came down heavily on these
constructions, however owing to the political clout of the middle class, they have
prevented further action on this front.

The Role of Civil Society and the Judiciary

Over the past two decades, citizen’s action has stemmed some of the rampant land use
change, even though the pressures are much too high today. In the early nineties, a
concerted city action led by environmentalists forced the conversion of prime forest land
into a development zone. Over 7500 ha of forest are now legally protected in the city, and
through another law, tree cutting needs special permission, even on one’s own land.
Similarly NGOs along with the Courts forced the conversion of public transport from
diesel to CNG, a cleaner fuel. On other fronts, persistent campaigns have brought in more
transparency into spending on the river cleaning programs, and currently there are
attempts to stop the riverbed being converted to a Commonwealth Games Village for the
upcoming games of 2010.

ECOLOGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE CHALLENGE:

Topography of Delhi

The topography of the city has two main features - the Ridge and the river Yamuna.
Although Delhi was built many times, these two natural boundaries were never
transgressed. The Ridge was perceived (incorrectly) as an impenetrable area inhabited by
extraordinary plants and fierce animals. The people of Delhi were fortunate to have both
river as well as lush green forest. They coexisted with a vast number of beings from
wolves to leopards to minute insect in perfect harmony. With the transfer of capital of
India from Calcutta to Delhi during British times, developmental activities started in the
city. The Ridge and the river started losing their natural state. The degradation of these
two worsened when the city started developing across its natural two boundaries.

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Meteorological Conditions

Climate and natural sources too play an important role in the build-up of pollution levels.
Delhi has a semi-arid climate, with an extremely hot summer, average rainfall and very
cold winters. Mean monthly temperatures range from 14.3 °C in January (minimum 3 °C)
to 34.5 °C in June (maximum 47 °C). The annual mean temperature is 25.3 °C (WMO
1971). Dust storms occur frequently during summer months leading to build-up of
particulate matter in the atmosphere. The monsoon season witnesses the least pollution
due to frequent washout of pollutants along with rains. Mixing height is one of the
important parameters that influence the dilution of pollutants. It follows diurnal and
seasonal variations. During winter, ground-based temperature inversions are a regular
feature that restricts mixing height to low levels. A lower temperature, calm conditions,
lower mixing height and temperature inversions during winter is to restrict and confine
pollutant dispersion and dispersal (CPCB 1993/94 and CPCB 2000). The monsoon rain
scrubs the atmosphere regularly in a yearly cycle. Winter evenings, have higher pollution
build-up because of frequent calm conditions with temperature inversions resulting in
poor natural ventilation and high emission loads due to evening traffic peaks. The
situation in Delhi during winter is therefore more critical as compared to Mumbai,
Chennai, and Kolkata as the effect of natural sea breeze is absent resulting in virtually no
dilution of pollutants. In the summer season, there are frequent pre-monsoon dust storms,
when strong westerly winds from Rajasthan desert deposit large concentration of dust
particles in Delhi's atmosphere.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS IN DELHI

Environment, Development and Disasters

Ecological imbalance created due to abuse and overuse of environmental services in the
city has left very thin line between natural and man-made disasters. The city of Delhi is
subjected to congestion and high density of population living in poor sanitary conditions.
Poverty has made a large population live as squatters on the flood plains of the Yamuna,
which are vulnerable to hazards like fires, floods and earthquakes. Apart from these, risks
of violence, crime and road accidents take a big toll of life in the capital city of the
country.

Development in Delhi & its Impacts

Today the development continues defying city planning logics. Areas west of the Ridge
have been colonized and the natural drainage pattern ate disturbed. Areas East of Yamuna
which have been developed despite being low tying and prone to water logging and

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inundation, are totally flood prone. The Ridge has lost its topographical continuity,
having been blasted in many placed to build new colonies. Today only four small broken
patches are left, one near Delhi University, a large one near Dhaula Kuan and two in
South Delhi, one of which Sanjay Van is probably still the most pristine lost to artificial
gardens and recreational parks, such as Buddha Jayanti Park and Mahavir Jayanti Park.
The perfect balance and harmony of nature had been disturbed. Undergrowth which was
home to many life-forms has been rampantly cleared.

However, amazingly, despite all sorts of pressures like tree-falling, urbanization,

industrialization, pollution, mining etc, the Ridge forest still services in those small
patches. Equally surprising, it still sustains a myriad of life forms. The river Yamuna has
turned more or less into a drain and does not carry clear fresh water any more. Why have
we destroyed our natural heritage, the ridge and the river, and what are we leaving behind
for future generations?

Nature cannot take more abuse hence the degradation caused to the environment of the
city has to respond in terms of its wrath. Floods in Delhi are not natures wrong doing; it
is invariably the irresponsibility of the authorities and those who are totally insensitive to
human life blinded by the haves and have-nots of economics. This is very clear from the
recurring phenomenon of floods in the mighty river Yamuna and flash floods caused by
rains due to chocked drains in Delhi.

Ecological Hazards

Environmentalists are warning that the Indian capital, Delhi, could become impossible to
live in if the current growth in air and water pollution continues unabated. The city is
regularly cloaked in thick fog as an array of traffic and heavy industries throws 3,000
tons of pollutants into the air every day.

In Delhi today pollution is one of the most critical problems facing the public and
concerned authorities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Delhi is the
fourth most polluted city in the world in terms of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM).
The growing pollution is responsible for increasing health problems. The deteriorating
environment is the result of population pressure and haphazard growth. Industrial
development has been haphazard and unplanned. Only about 2-% of the industrial units
are in approved industrial areas; the remainder is spread over the city in residential and
commercial area Road transport is the sole mode of public transport; there has been a
phenomenal increase in the vehicle population, which was increased from2 lakh in 1971
to 2 lakh in 1999. (NCT Fact Sheet Delhi, 1999).

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Water

Water Requirement and Sources of Water in Delhi

Delhi is experiencing increasing pressure to meet demand for its water resources.
Growing urbanization, improvements in living standards, exploding population are just
some of the contributing factors. The population of Delhi is expected to cross 15 million
by the end of 2002. The city, at the moment, requires 3,324 million liters of water a day
(MLD) while what it gets stands closer to 2,034 MLD. Average water consumption in
Delhi is estimated at being 240 liters per capita per day (lpcd), the highest in the country.
The large-scale extraction of groundwater is a result of this widening gap between the
demand and supply of water. And still worse, serious doubts are also being raised about
both the quality and quantity of groundwater.

The River Yamuna, which provides Delhi's water, contains high levels of raw sewage and
industrial waste - and is getting worse every year. Pollution of the river is directly linked
to the inefficient water planning and management in Delhi. Our planners have no clue
about how much water the city uses, and neither do they know how much waste the city
generates. It is not surprising, therefore, that the growth in sewage treatment capacity has
not kept pace with the increase in population and waste. Treatment capacity has increased
almost eight-fold in the last 40 years, but wastewater generation has grown 12-fold in the
same period.

In Delhi, the river has virtually no freshwater for nine months. Delhi impounds all its
water at Wazirabad, where the dammed up river practically ceases to exist; what flows
subsequently is only sewage and waste from Delhi’s 22 drains. There is just no water
available to dilute this waste.

Pollution levels in the Yamuna have risen. Biological oxygen demand (BOD) load has
increased 2.5 times between 1980 and 2005 -- from 117 tonne per day (tpd) in 1980 to
276 tpd in 2005. Dissolved oxygen (DO) -- to check if the river is alive -- in the upper
segments, considered pristine, is dipping, indicating an increase in organic pollution. By
the time the river is midway through Delhi, the total coliform count is so high that it is
difficult to count the zeroes. Pesticides and heavy metals are also present in the river.

Surface Water Pollution

Around 1393 mld of sewerage finds its way into river Yamuna through 19 major drains.
Out falling into the river carrying 218 mls which includes 48 mgd of industrial effluent.
BOD content of this water is 587 mld in all the 5 sewerage zones of Delhi. 64% of total
BOD is from domestic sources. 10-15% of nutrients added to the soils through fertilizers
eventually find their surface water system. The highest load occurs from the NCT Delhi
(about 152 MT/day of BOD load) as compared to the loads of other cities which vary
from 1 mt/day) as per Yamuna Action Plan. Everyday about 1880 mld of waste water is

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discharge into the river from Delhi through 18 drains. More than 95% waster water in
Delhi is drained by 5 drains viz. Nazafgarh, Sen Nursing home, and power house drain.

Ground Water Pollution

There is progressive increase in bicarbonate sulphate and chloride ions with increase in
salinity, predominant in ground water from areas with high salinity at deeper levels to the
tine of EC 10,00 micro siemens/cm. North western and south western part of NCT have
saline water at all levels. The NCT of Delhi has 428.07 mcm utilizable. Ground water
resources and balance available is 140.79. Fluoride concentration is more than 1.5
mg/litre which is the permissible concentration, nitrate concentration is more than 45
mg/litre and at some places it is even more than 100mg/litre.

Domestic Waste Water Pollution

The increase in population has resulted in a corresponding increase in the volume of
domestic waste water that is generated. Sewage treatment capacity is about 344 MGD at
present against 470 MGD wastewater that is generated each day in Delhi. The sewage
treatment capacity is not fully utilized due to malfunctioning of the trunk sewer system.

Industrial Waste Water

The Industrial waste water generated in Delhi is about 70 MGD. Although some
industrial units have provided facilities to treat wastewater, most smallscale industries do
not have such facilities.

The 48 km stretch of the Yamuna River in Delhi is heavily polluted by domestic and
industrial wastewater. The river water upstream of Wazirabad is fit for drinking after it
has been treated, but after the confluence of Najafgarh drain and 18 other major drains,
the water quality becomes heavily degraded and is unfit even for animal consumption and
irrigation.

There are 28 industrial areas in Delhi. Most of the small and tiny industries do not have
individual facilities to treat liquid waste. The Supreme Court has ordered that 15 common
Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) be constructed. Action has been taken against 2,300
industrial units in Delhi so far (January 2000) and is continuing to cover all such water
polluting units.

Air Pollution

Ambient Air Quality

Data from continuous monitoring of air quality reveals that suspended particulate matter
levels still far exceed stipulated standards, there is a significant downward trend as
indicated in the following tables.

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According to a study by Delhi Pollution Control committee, noise levels in Delhi exceed
permissible levels in all areas except industrial areas. Since noise is measured on a
logarithmic scale, an increase of every 3-5 dBA has twice the effect on humans. Diesel
generating sets and vehicles, particularly auto rickshaws, have been identified as major
sources of noise pollution in Delhi.

Air Pollution
Due to phenomenal growth in the number of motor vehicles Delhi and power generation
based on fired power stations, total amount on coal fired power stations, total amount of
pollutants received by the city is around 3000 tonnes as compared to 100 tonnes a decade
ago. Sixty five percent of these pollutants are produced by motor vehicles. Annual
average maximum, levels of SPM in Delhi's air has increased from 7.6 times the
permissible limit in 1987 to 16.7 time in 1995.

The period between 1989 and1996 saw a rapid increase in pollution levels. In fact, 1996
is considered the peak year in terms of air pollution load. The transport, industrial and the
domestic sectors were the major contributors towards the rising ambient air pollution
levels, in addition to the presence of natural dust due to meteorological conditions. Figure
3 indicates the contribution from various sectors to ambient air pollution. The
contribution from the vehicular sector increased from 23% in the year 1970/71 to as
much as 72% by the year 2001.

Vehicular Pollution
The main source of vehicular pollution is the fuel itself. The way it undergoes
combustion inside the engine determines the amount of pollutant emissions from the
engine. Any strategy then has to aim at the use of cleaner fuel, reduction in fuel
consumption, adoption of efficient engines and installation of pollution control device at
the tail end pipes of vehicles. A part of mitigation measures started in 1996, with the
introduction of reduced concentration of lead in petrol from 0.56 g/l to 0.15 g/l, reduction
of benzene to 5 % and reduction of sulphur from 1.0% to 0.5%. Over the next four years,
the quality of fuel further improved as explained in Table 2 with further reduction in
sulphur in diesel and lead in petrol. On July 28, 1998, while hearing a Public Interest
Litigation the Hon’ble Supreme Court directed, among other things, the replacement of
all pre – 1990 auto-rickshaws and retrofitting all the post -1990 auto-rickshaws and taxis
with devices running on clean fuels. In addition to this, the Hon’ble Court also directed
the withdrawal of buses which were more than eight years old and conversion of the rest
of the city’s bus fleet to CNG based vehicles and setting up of more CNG filling stations.
This was based on the recommendations of Environment Pollution (Prevention &
Control) Authority (EPCA), also known as Bhure Lal Committee, set up by the Ministry
of Environment & Forests.

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Delhi has experienced an exponential growth in the number of personalized vehicles over
the last two decades. The rising trend in air pollution load from vehicular exhaust can
also be noticed from the rise in the consumption of both major auto fuels i.e. petrol and
diesel. By 1996, emission load in Delhi was much greater than the emission load in other
metropolitan cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.

Industrial Pollution

Industrial Air Pollution

The air pollution generated from industrial activity in Delhi is about 12% of total air
pollution. More than 1,300 industrial units that were not allowed to operate under the
MPD - 2001 norms have been closed. The 1991 reports by the National Environmental
Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur documents the amount of pollution that
is contributed by different sectors in Delhi:

In relative terms, the quantum industrial air pollution has decreased over the years.
However, vehicular pollution has increased rapidly. The drop in share of domestic air
pollution is due to the increased number of LPG connections in Delhi, which have
replaced other forms of fuel.

The other major source of air pollution load in Delhi was the fuel combustion by both
large scale and small-scale industries among the large-scale industries, thermal power
plants were the most prominent contributors to ir pollution. Three coal based thermal
power plants namely Rajghat, I. P. and Badarpur Power plant, which have a total
generation capacity of 087 MW were responsible for as much as 10% approx.) of the air
pollution load in 2001. These thermal power plants are located in the heart of the city.
Particulate emissions from the I.P. power Station (Unit no. 5) in 1998 reached an all time
high of 422 mg/Nm3 as against the national standard of 150 mg/Nm3.

By 1996, the total number of small-scale industries n Delhi grew to a record number of
1,26,000 and unfortunately, most of the growth was witnessed in he pollution intensive
areas and sectors. n addition, significant pollution was also caused by a large number of
Diesel Generating (DG) Sets, which were installed in various commercial and industrial
establishments. The erratic power supply was the raison d’etre for the phenomenal
increase in the number and use of DG sets.

Noise levels in Delhi exceed permissible levels in all areas except industrial areas
according to a study by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. Since noise is measured
on a logarithmic scale, an increase of every 3-4 dBA has twice the effect on humans.
Diesels generating sets and vehicles, particularly auto rickshaws, have been identified as

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major sources of noise pollution of Delhi.

Pollution from Thermal Power Plants

Thermal power plants contributes to 13% of air pollution. The main pollutants are stack
emissions; fly ash generations and fugitive emission in coal handling. All thee thermal
power plants Delhi need better use of their emission control devices and the fly ash that
they generate.

Chemical Pollution
Though Delhi remains a polluted city, there is not much of chemical pollution. The
period between 1989- 96 saw a rapid increase in pollution levels. The Year 1996 may be
considered as the peak year. But in the wake of use of CNG as an alternate fuel, the
contribution of vehicular sector towards air pollution has been reduced in the subsequent
years. This is also supported by the fact that there is a significant improvement in the air
quality. The best place to witness this change is the busy ITO traffic intersection, where
toxic fumes no longer irritate the eyes as earlier. Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide,
Lead and Sulphur Dioxide levels have all shown a declining trend. The annual average of
42 mg/m3 of Sulphur Dioxide in the year 1996 came down to as much as 18 mg/m3
during 2002 at ITO Intersection, whereas NO2 came down from 75mg/m3 in 1996 to 59
mg/m3 in 2000. Further, there has been a marked decline in the annual Lead levels after
introduction of unleaded petrol in 1998. Also, the results show a significant improvement
in the overall air quality of the city. The concentration of Carbon Monoxide has fallen by
32 per cent; Sulphur Dioxide levels have fallen by 39 per cent in 2002 as compared to
1997. The concentration of other pollutants like Lead and

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USEFUL WEB LINKS:

Urban Design of Delhi

www.dda.org.in (Delhi Development Authority)
www.delhiplanning.nic.in
www.urbanindia.nic.in
www.mcdonline.gov.in (Municipal Corporation of Delhi)

Water
www.yap.nic.in (Yamuna Action Plan)
www.yamunagentlyweeps.com
www.yamunajiyeabhiyaan.blogspot.com

Environment/Pollution
www.toxicslink.org
www.cseindia.org
www.environment.delhigov.nic.in
www.dpcc.delhigovt.nic.in (Delhi Pollution Control Committee)
www.cpcb.nic.in (Central Pollution board Committee)

Other
www.teriin.org (TERI- The Energy & Research Institute)
www.greenbusinesscentre.com
www.igbc.in (Indian Green Building Council)
www.delhimetrorail.com (Delhi Metro)
www.rainwaterharvesting.org
www.metrogounderground.com
www.sarai.net
www.treesfordelhi.com
www.chintan-india.org
www.delhigreens.worldpress.com

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