Sources of Air Pollution in Delhi

Delhi’s choking air pollution has caught the attention of politicians and newswires in recent weeks. A massive influx of cars, which are being added at an estimated rate of more than 1,000 a day, is an oft-cited reason for the dirty air. (reported @ NY Times)

But according to data collected by UrbanEmissions.info, a research group that studies air pollution across India, cars account for 25 percent or less of two key pollutants, carbon monoxide and the larger particulate matter known as PM10. Another oft-cited source, open fires used by some poorer residents for heating and cooking, accounts for less than 10 percent of the air’s carbon monoxide and PM10.

Other key polluters, Urbanemissions says, are power plants (Delhi relies on several coal-fired plants for much of its electricity), industries and the dozens of brick kilns that ring the city, supplying bricks for Delhi’s numerous construction projects.