Five reasons behind Arvind Kejriwal's 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' initiative

Delhi is once again battling early signs of rising air pollution, a recurring instance as autumn makes its presence felt in the city and while several factors at play are believed to contribute to toxic air quality each year, vehicular pollution ranks high on the list. As such, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal recently launched the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' initiative to tackle the problem.

Here are five reasons cited by Kejriwal for the initiative and why it could contribute to the larger war waged against pollution:

• Delhi has one crore registered vehicles. Kejriwal says that even if 10 lakh vehicles turn off ignition at traffic signals, around 1.5 tonnes of PM 10 will go down in a year.
• Kejriwal adds that PM 2.5 levels will drop by a possible 0.4 tonnes a year.
• Vehicles stationery at traffic signals often emit pollution and turning the ignition off helps to temporarily stop the emissions from the exhaust.
• Kejriwal says that each car spends around 15 to 20 minutes at traffic signals - on an average, and that both fuel and money can be saved by opting to keep vehicles turned off while waiting for the signal to turn green.
• Kejriwal explains that even if 30% to 40% of all vehicles on Delhi road cause pollution, switching off ignition at traffic signals could help in the fight against toxic air.

Kejriwal has also said that his government will start an awareness campaign in the days to come to further expand the scope of the battle against rising pollution levels in Delhi.