What should India do to reduce pollution from vehicles?
The fuel quality should be improved. The first thing that needs to be done is to remove leaded petrol completely from the market. At present, only Delhi has lead-free petrol, but this should be extended to all cities. Countries like China, Thailand, Nicaragua and Brazil have managed to eliminate lead, India can, too. The cost increase for lead-free petrol will only be marginal at about a cent agallon. The sulphur levels in diesel should also be brought down from the current rate of 2,500 ppm to 500 ppm. To pay one cent a gallon extra for such health benefits is well worth the price. The recent reduction in the price of diesel is also a bad move. Unless the government can improve the quality of diesel, it should not promote the increased use of a bad quality fuel. Even if you have a good quality engine, dirty diesel will ruin everything. Is it enough to improve fuel quality to reduce pollution? Improving fuel quality cannot be done in isolation. Without better emission standards, engine
