As the Capital grapples with high levels of pollution almost throughout the year, data from the city government’s Delhi Statistical Handbook 2017 shows that deaths due to respiratory diseases went up by about 40% from 2015 to 2016.
The handbook, released by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday, showed that the number of deaths caused by respiratory diseases went up from 6,502 in 2015 to 9,149 in 2016. These deaths were 6.45% of the total deaths recorded in 2016 — 1.41 lakh.
Sources of pollution
Among the top sources of pollution in Delhi, the transportation sector saw a change in the consumption of different fuels. The sale of high speed diesel oil in the city decreased in 2016 from 15.08 lakh metric tonnes in 2015 to 12.67 lakh metric tonnes, while the sale of petrol increased slightly from 9.02 lakh metric tonnes to 9.06 lakh metric tonnes. On the other hand, the sale of CNG, which is a comparatively cleaner fuel, increased from 7.38 lakh metric tonnes in 2015 to 8.04 lakh metric tonnes in 2016.
While the causes behind the decrease in diesel sale were not enumerated, a government statement said Mr. Sisodia “congratulated the residents of Delhi for reduction in consumption of diesel”.
This, the statement added, was an “indication of growing awareness towards curbing air pollution”.
Average income
Meanwhile, Delhi’s per capita income continued to grow in 2016-2017, reaching ₹3.03 lakh — a 10.76% growth from 2015-2016. Mr. Sisodia said this was higher than the national-level per capita income growth, which was 9.7%. In 2016-2017, the national per capita income was ₹1.03 lakh.
When it came to power and water, lakhs of new connections were added in the last financial year. The number of electricity consumers increased from 52.63 lakh in 2015-2016 to 55.68 lakh in 2016-2017. While the consumption of electricity increased from 24,037 million units in 2015-2016 to 26,865 million units in 2016-2017, the generation or purchase of power decreased from 30,559 million units to 28,906.26 million units over the same period.
Water consumption
The Delhi Jal Board recorded an increase of metered connections from 19.49 lakh in 2015-2016 to 23.16 lakh in 2016-2017. In 2016-2017, Delhi consumed a total of 14,914 lakh kilolitres — a per capita consumption of 47 gallons a day.
Also released on Saturday, the report on the incorporated non-agriculture enterprises, excluding construction, based on 2015-2016 data found that 8.10 lakh such enterprises existed in Delhi, with 97% operating out of urban Delhi. Mr. Sisodia said these enterprises generated around 19.5 lakh jobs.
