Committee: WHO

Country: India
Delegate: Gavaz Maria Roxana, Vasile Alecsandri Highschool Galati
Topic A: Reduction of Urban Air Pollution Levels in the Developing World
According to a World Health Organisation air global pollution list, India has 11 out of the 12
most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM 2.5 concentrations, creating a highly dangerous
environment for its inhabitants, especially children under the age of five who became prone to
cognitive disorders which can impact their learning, linguistic and motor skills, as an UNICEF
report stated. Major contributors to bad air quality include auto emissions due to increasing
urban traffic congestion, fossil fuel powered by heavy industry, construction, and the burning of
agricultural land post harvests. This mix of rural and urban pollution generates smog,
transforming the Indian capital into “a gas chamber”, as the chief minister tweeted.

The manufacturing industry is one of the major pollutants. Industrialization that relies on fossil
powers contributes to air pollution. With the economy booming in many of India’s cities the
number of road vehicles and dusty construction sites have multiplied, and outdoor air pollution
has become a major health hazard and a major killer. Furthermore, some of the highest pollution
exposures are inflicted on those who make their living on the streets, including traffic police and
drivers of three-wheeled auto-rickshaws. These rickshaws have been converted to compressed
natural gas, a cleaner fuel source, as a result of a 1998 supreme court ruling in a case brought by
environmental advocates.Many of Delhi’s cars, by contrast, continue to burn particulate-heavy
diesel.

The U.S. is the world's largest producer and exporter of "petcoke," with the largest share being
shipped to India in recent years. The high-carbon, high-sulfur fuel is dirtier than coal, and has
been burned unregulated in Indian factories and power plants, contributing to that nation's
already-high air pollution levels. In 2016, the U.S. sent more than 8 million metric tons of
petcoke to India about 20 times more than in 2010, and enough to fill the Empire State Building
eight times. The government has dismissed the idea that petcoke threatens public health in the
nation’s capital, whereas the Supreme Court requested pollution control measures and banned
petcoke use in certain industries.

To the extent of preventing an increase in the level of toxicity, the Indian government will:

 collaborate with Finland in developing a new pollution forecast system which is

attempting to reduce the severity of air pollution by 35% in the next three years, and 50%
in the next five years;
 introduce an innovative way of using the crop residue, in order to produce a fuel gas that
can be used for cooking, heating and power generation, and any type of transport fuel;
 launch a two week long Clean Air Campaign which aims to increase awareness around
issues of air pollution and develop solutions to improve air quality;
 promote electric vehicles which will help in addressing air pollution by building a
citywide
e-mobility plan with charging infrastructure, partnerships with ride-sharing company Ola
for electric taxis, tax incentives for electric and hybrid vehicles as well as lower fares for
electric buses;
 Other recent measures in the capital include tighter vehicle emissions’ norms, higher
penalties for burning rubbish and better control of road dust.