To curb spiralling air pollution, three Indian Tier-2 cities to take a leaf out of London’s playbook

In Bhubaneswar, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board last year prepared a plan for the implementation of LEZ plan for the old town area around Lingaraj Temple.

Cities are exploring this measure due to increasing air pollution levels due to fast-paced development and rising vehicular traffic over the past few years.

Bhubaneswar and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar are among India’s 131 non-attainment cities that have consistently failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for five consecutive years.

Last year, Pimpri Chinchwad emerged as one of the most polluted cities in Maharashtra, with PM 2.5 levels reaching nearly double the safe limit—far exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) limit of 60µg/m.

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh said there is an urgent need to take proactive measures to curb vehicular tailpipe emission, one of the main factors contributing to air pollution in the city.

“The municipal corporation has proposed to establish LEZ in one of the densely populated and busy commercial centres of the city by 2026.  We plan to set up a low-emission mobility zone by 2026 when the entry of polluting vehicles—identified by BS standards—will be restricted, but this will be done in a phased manner,” Singh told ThePrint.

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation  (PCMC) has prepared a graded response action plan for the city—including the LEZ. “The stakeholder consultations are going on, and the plan is likely to be notified in the next 10 days,” Singh said. 

In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the municipal corporation is incorporating the LEZ component in the city’s climate action plan, and for that, stakeholder consultations are now going on, Municipal Commissioner G. Sreekanth told ThePrint.  

While cities such as Delhi, Agra, Kevadia and Matheran have in the past taken several piecemeal measures to regulate the entry of polluting vehicles, it is the first time that Indian cities are now proactively undertaking an initiative to establish LEZs.

According to transport and environment experts, this aggressive measure is the need of the hour in several cities to regulate the movement of polluting vehicles, one of the principal causes of air pollution, and gradually remove them.

Vaibhav Kush, a researcher with the International Council on Clean Transportation (a public policy think tank), said that the emission inventory report for Pune Metropolitan region by SAFAR-Pune in 2020 showed that 46% of the PM2.5 emission load was due to the transport sector.

“The report also noted a 91% increase in PM2.5 emissions from the transport sector between 2012 and 2019. Therefore, it becomes crucial to take some aggressive measures, such as regulating the movement of polluting vehicles,” said Kush.

According to experts, setting up LEZs has helped cities in various countries to effectively address air pollution and improve the quality of life of their citizens.

As of 2022, more than 320 low-emission zones operate in Europe, said Aswathy Dilip, the managing director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)-India, a non-profit organisation working in the transport sector. 

“London is a great example that highlights the impact of LEZs. A 2023 study by the University of Bath found that low emission zones reduced PM10 levels by 13% in Greater London (2008-2013) and nitrogen dioxide by 18.4% in Central London (2019), saving more than 900 million health costs. Other cities with LEZ initiatives include Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Seoul, South Korea, and several cities in China,” Aswathy added.   

The initiative taken by the three cities in India, once implemented successfully, can become the model for other cities where air pollution levels are concerning, according to transport experts.

While these cities are planning for LEZ, it is not going to be a cakewalk as it would require a lot of effort in upgrading the existing infrastructure and also getting the citizens and all stakeholders on board.

The two cities in Maharashtra got a survey done to prepare the roadmap for LEZ.

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Survey to prepare the plans

The survey in the two cities in Maharashtra to identify the areas for LEZ was done by ITDP-India and International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) last year. Aswathy said ITDP-India and  ICCT surveyed nearly 4,000 vehicles in each city to find the share of old vehicles.

The survey was done at 10 locations in each city—at fuel stations—to collect information about the fuel type and age of vehicles and their emission standards, among other parameters. The survey included information about the travel patterns and the average distance travelled by people.

“In India, the share of electric vehicle sales has grown only to roughly 5% in FY22-23. Hence, the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles form the majority of vehicles on our streets. In the survey in Pimpri Chinchwad, we found that only about 30% of the vehicles were BS VI. Nearly 65% of the vehicles were BS III and IV, and roughly 5% were BS I and II,” Aswathy said.

The travel patterns, the average distance travelled, existing transport infrastructure, and other information about the air quality level in the areas surveyed helped in identifying the ideal location for setting up the LEZ.  

Singh said the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) held an informal discussion with officials at Transport for London about the issues they faced while implementing it. “There were a few learnings on stakeholder consultation—how to convince people, especially business associations, about it. Even from a technology standpoint, we discussed how they are implementing LEZ and ultra LEZ. It is not possible to completely replicate the London model due to the multiple stakeholders in Indian cities.”

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Cities plan to adopt a graded approach

The PCMC plans to implement LEZ in one densely populated, commercial area spread over 30 square kilometers. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation is also finalising some areas.

While the commissioners of the two corporations admitted that some tough measures are needed to address the deteriorating air quality in their respective cities, they said a sudden ban on vehicles is not the solution.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Commissioner G. Sreekanth said, “For LEZ to be successfully implemented, we need support from all stakeholders, including citizens. It’s, however, not possible to ban vehicles in an area suddenly; it has to be done in a phased manner. We can first do a pilot project, where we can ban polluting vehicles, especially bigger vehicles, and then slowly push for the use of electric vehicles.”

“We are yet to finalise the plans. But, before we do this, we need to create adequate public transport infrastructure first, set up electric vehicle charging stations, etc. We are thinking about implementing the LEZ by 2026,” he said.

Currently, stakeholder consultations are going on to identify the LEZ and finalise the climate action plan.

The PCMC also plans to implement it in a phased manner. Elaborating on the plan for LEZ in Pimpri Chinchwad, Singh said, “Till January 2026, we plan to implement provisions such as restricting polluting vehicles, imposing environment protection charge, etc., under GRAP when the AQI is ‘very poor’ (301-400). This transition period will help citizens get used to the idea of restriction on vehicle movement and help us set up LEZs in the future.”

In Bhubaneswar, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board prepared a detailed plan for the old town area near the temple. According to the proposed plan for Ekamra Kshetra LEZ, the entry of vehicles not conforming to BS-III will not be allowed in the LEZ; the use of electric vehicles (EVs) will be encouraged; electric public transport, such as e-scooters, will be pressed into services; and EV charging stations will be set up—all to promote walking and cycling in the designated area.

While the plan had been prepared by December last year, it couldn’t be implemented due to the assembly and Lok Sabha elections, according to a senior official.

Member Secretary of Odisha State Pollution Control Board K. Murugesan said, “We developed a detailed plan last year to implement a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the 6-7 sq km area around Lingaraj Temple, a popular tourist spot. The plan includes restricting polluting vehicles, increasing green cover, and managing waste.”

“Although the implementation began in December, it was delayed due to assembly elections. We now have requested the municipal corporation and the development authority to continue the plan’s implementation,” Murugesan added.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)

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