Sanitation: Delhi ranks average in the sani- tation category. This reflects below average results for the share of population with access to sanitation at an estimated 54%.
Air quality: Delhi is marked down for having the highest daily level of suspended particulate matter of the 22 cities, at 384 micrograms per cubic metre. Explosive population growth has increased the number of vehicles, and the need for energy to run homes and businesses. . One of the reasons is that pollution-control initiatives have the back- ing of the government, society and industry. The prospect of hosting the Commonwealth Games in October 2010 also focused the minds of city officials to try and improve air quality, as set down in the eco code for the Games.
Green initiatives: As much of Delhi’s undesir- able air quality is caused by transport and indus-
try, pollution control in these sectors have helped to clean the air. Emissions standards are set down in India’s Air Act of 1981 and the Envi- ronment Act of 1986. National air quality stan- dards, adopted in 1982 and revised in 1994, were tightened further in November 2009 to comply with global best practices. The new reg- ulations require industrial areas to conform to the same standards as residential areas, and set stringent standards in ecologically sensitive areas. More than 600 emission-control systems have been installed in air-polluting industrial units, with the aim of full monitoring coverage by 2012. An Air Ambience Fund, set up in 2008, is financed by a US$0.50-per-litre fee on diesel in Delhi. The fund, which collected US$8.2 mil- lion in 2008-2009, provides a 30% subsidy on purchases of battery-operated vehicles by refunding the value-added tax and road tax.