New Delhi--The lines of rickshaws
and taxis led from the gas stations as far as
the eye could
see, and even beyond.
Taxi
and auto-rickshaw drivers, many of whom live on
daily wages, waited in the blistering sun from
eight to nine hours to fill their gas tanks with
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). An April 1999 Supreme
Court order requires all public transportation
in New Delhi - which includes taxis, buses and
auto rickshaws--to switch from petrol and diesel
to CNG by September 30, 2001.
The ensuing rush
to convert vehicles to the new fuel has resulted
in long queues due to the severe
shortages of filling stations and CNG. The government
is being widely criticized for its poor planning
and implementation of the switch to CNG. "This
is not a CNG crisis," said Anil Agarwal of
the Center for Science and Environment and one
of the leading environmental activists in India. "It
is a crisis of governance."
Few cities have opted for conversion of their
entire public transport fleet to CNG. Delhi's experiment
will be watched very carefully by all cities suffering
from automobile pollution.
The new fuel promised Sher Singh, a taxi driver,
more earnings and the chance to help lower high
pollution levels in the nation's capital. The CNG
tanks in his car may be helping clean the air,
but he's losing money and his time.
"There's only loss with CNG," he said. "When
before I could work two shifts, now I can only
work one." He spent eight hours waiting in
line at the gas pump the night before.
CNG is compressed methane gas, stored in high
pressure cylinders. A hydrocarbon, methane's simple
molecular structure allows nearly complete combustion
and low emissions. CNG emissions are estimated
to be about 20 percent those of gasoline, making
it an attractive alternative fuel to reduce pollution.
Measures to reduce pollution in Delhi were long
overdue. By the mid-90s, pollution levels in the
capital had reached record levels. The Government
of India took little action, requiring only that
Euro I norms for all automobiles be reached by
April 2000. Euro II norms, which were adopted by
European countries in 1996, had to be met only
by April 2005--a full nine years after Europe.
These Euro norms refer to the European standards
for permissible emission levels from gasoline and
diesel vehicles. Frustrated by the lack of action,
nongovernmental organizations and individuals turned
to the Indian Supreme court to order the government
to take measures to reduce pollution.
The Supreme Court reacted to the appeals and passed
a judgement in April 1999 requiring Euro I standards
to be introduced within a month. The deadline for
Euro II implementation was set at April 2000, a
full five years earlier than the government had
required. All public transportation had to convert
to CNG by April 1, 2001.
Despite the long
lines and inconvenience faced by taxi and auto-rickshaw
drivers, many support
the new fuel. "CNG is a good thing for the
environment," said Singh. "The air in
Delhi was very bad, it's better now. CNG is helping
make it better."
The government moved to implement the changes
before the deadlines. While Euro II standards were
met, CNG implementation was taken lightly and by
April 2001 many public transport vehicles had to
go off the roads. This led to widespread unrest
in Delhi, until the Supreme Court extended the
deadline to September 30 of this year. In the scramble
to meet the deadline this time, public transportation
is being rapidly switched over to CNG. Unfortunately,
filling stations are not being built to keep up
with the demand.
"The government said they would build more
pumps," said Singh. "But they haven't.
Some of the new pumps they've built do not have
a supply of CNG."
For tehir convenience, drivers have been given
lists of filling stations around the city. Currently
there are 72 stations with CNG capability, but
some of them are not directly connected to a pipeline
and they run out of gas periodically. Indraprastha
Gas Ltd., the sole supplier in Delhi, has promised
to increased the number of stations to nearly 90.
By December they plan to improve the pressure in
the pumps so that the filling time can be brought
down. Cars take about 10 minutes to fill and buses
take about 20 minutes, according to Singh. That
is, of course, if there is enough CNG to meet the
demand.
"We stand in line for hours and then sometimes
we're told there's no more CNG for us," said
Singh. "Some of the stations are only for
rickshaws; others are only for buses. The government
says there are enough stations, but that's a lie."
The government has complied with the Supreme Court
order for diesel- powered public transport to switch
to CNG. The anti-pollution measures have greatly
improved air quality in Delhi, much to the relief
of the residents of india's capital. The reduced
pollution has also pleased NGOs and environmental
activists. Unfortunately it is the people who drive
taxis and rickshaws, those who were among the most
affected by the pollution, who continue to suffer.
"Maybe I'll be lucky today," said Singh. "Maybe
the line will only be four hours long and I'll
be able to sleep in my bed tonight."
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