Ultra-low sulphur diesel in Delhi from Apr 1

The air quality in the national capital is set to improve soon with introduction of cleaner and greener ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) from April 1.

The introduction of the fuel, in which sulphur content is just one-seventh of the diesel currently being sold, will also earn Delhi the distinction of becoming the first Indian city to catch up with fuel quality in Europe where ULSD was introduced a couple of years back.

The sulphur content in the diesel currently being used is 350 parts per million (ppm) while it will be 50 ppm in ULSD.

"We are confident that with introduction of ULSD, the air quality in the city will improve significantly," Dharmendra, Environment Secretary, Delhi government told PTI. Currently, Delhi has over 60,000 diesel vehicles, considered a major source of vehicular pollution in the city.

Dharmendra said all the oil companies supplying diesel in the city have agreed to supply ULSD in Delhi from April one following the government's directives.

Asked how the government would monitor compliance of use of ULSD by diesel vehicles, he said all the filling stations will only have ULSD available with them and use of diesel having 350 ppm sulphur will not be possible.

According to a study by Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi adds over 1,000 new personal vehicles each day on its roads and a considerable number of these vehicles run on diesel.

High levels of Sulphur dioxide in air results in various types of lung diseases and impaired pulmonary function. On April 1, Delhi will also become one of the 13 cities in the country to introduce Bharat Stage-IV emission compliance for vehicles.

As per the Auto Fuel Policy, the 13 mega cities, which have Bharat Stage III emission regulations, will meet Bharat Stage IV standards from April 2010 and the rest of the country will upgrade to Bharat Stage III regulations.

To discourage people from using diesel vehicles, the city government has introduced an environment cess of 25 paise per litre on diesel two years back. The fund generated through it is used for various measures to improve air quality in the city.