Locations In Delhi Research Articles

Language medium and a high-stakes test: Language ideology and coaching centers in North India

AbstractThe Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) offers its set of examinations in a “medium”, whether in a language recognized by the Constitution of India or in English. The notion of medium in the examination borrows from the notion of medium in schooling where it refers to the primary language of pedagogy. Although not all students who have studied in a particular medium in school and university go on to attempt the UPSC examinations in the same medium, most do. This article reports on fieldwork conducted in 2014 in coaching centers in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar and in the city of Varanasi. It traces some of the ways in which people hold ideologies about the significance of studying in one medium or another. Much ideological reflection, for example, was oriented to the fierce protesting that broke out in various locations in Delhi during the summer of 2014, just before my fieldwork. The protests were focused on changes made to the UPSC examination in 2011 which initiated increasingly poor results among Hindi-medium aspirants. The article also answers the call of scholars to consider institutional practices – especially as they change – alongside ideological reflections because, in the case of coaching centers, practice and ideology are not aligned.

Spatial variation of Aerosol Optical Depth and Solar Irradiance over Delhi -NCR during Summer season

Present study shows the spatial variation of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), solar irradiance and their association at the urban and rural sites in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) during the summer season of the year 2015. Summer-time AOD data from the NASA’s Terra satellite MODIS sensor has been used to study the spatial distribution of aerosols over Delhi and its surrounding rural area. The ground data for the direct and global solar irradiances was collected over this region at urban and rural locations in Delhi and NCR using a Fieldspec Spectro-radiometer. HYSPLIT model has been used for the air mass trajectory analysis. The AOD values were observed to be higher over Delhi compared to the relatively lower AOD in rural area of NCR. The NCR site observed higher average solar irradiances than Delhi during the summer season. This may be because of the higher aerosol concentration in Delhi as compared to its outskirts. Also, this region is affected by the severe dust storm events during the summer season which further increases the aerosol load in the atmosphere. HYSPLIT results show the influence of western Thar Desert air masses on the Delhi-NCR. Windblown as well anthropogenic aerosols play a major role in scattering and absorption of the incoming solar radiation and hence, in governing the micro-climatology of the region.

Study of intra-city urban heat island intensity and its influence on atmospheric chemistry and energy consumption in Delhi

Urban heat island intensity (UHII) has been determined as difference in air temperatures between two locations of Delhi namely Safdarjung (SAFD) and National Physical Laboratory (NPL) regions which represent urban and sub-urban areas respectively. High UHI has been obtained in morning time as compared to day and night times, with the highest magnitude ranging from 2.8 to 3°C in spring (MAM), autumn (SON) and winter (DJF) seasons in morning hours (0700–0900h). Monsoon season (JJA) shows less UHII values compared to other seasons. Wind speed reduced the UHII. Larger impervious area (i.e. 67.2% in SAFD as compared to 33.4% in NPL), lesser vegetated area (i.e. 32.8% in SAFD as compared to 66.6% in NPL) and low Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) value (0.15 in SAFD as compared to 0.24 in NPL) in SAFD area supports the existence of UHI there. Ambient O3 concentrations show maximum values during April and May for both regions and remain insignificantly influenced by UHI. Intra city temperature difference of 0.2–3°C is capable of raising electricity demand by 37.87–1856 GWh over the base electricity requirement of the city with corresponding increase in CO2 emissions by 0.031–1.52 million ton.

The 5th International Conference on Science & Engineering in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics 2017 (ScieTech 2017), The Ramada Bintang Hotel, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia 21 - 22 January 2017

The 5th International Conference on Science & Engineering in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics 2017 (ScieTech 2017), The Ramada Bintang Hotel, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia 21 - 22 January 2017

Evaluation of Odd–Even Day Traffic Restriction Experiments in Delhi, India

During periods from January 1 to January 15 and April 15 to April 30, 2016, the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, India, implemented an odd–even vehicle rule. Under this rule, between 08:00 and 20:00, only cars with even-numbered plates were allowed to operate on even-numbered dates of the calendar and only cars with odd-numbered plates on odd-numbered dates. In light of the varying experiences of vehicle restriction practices from around the world, this study evaluated the effects of both phases of the odd–even policy on transport patterns and vehicle use in Delhi. Observational surveys were carried out at four locations in Delhi to observe traffic flow and vehicle occupancy data. Speed data were extracted for 38 origin–destination pairs during the January phase and for 66 pairs for the April phase, with a sample of roads from all over Delhi and with Google Maps API (application programming interface) software. During the experimental periods, car flow rates on roads were reduced by less than 20%, but rates increased for motorized two-wheelers, buses, and autorickshaws. There was an insignificant rise in car occupancy rates: most car owners did not opt for carsharing. No improvements in levels of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) were detected. These experiments show that the odd–even rule was not effective in reducing measureable PM2.5 pollution in Delhi.

Identifying the most suitable road crossing infrastructure based on estimated delay to pedestrians and vehicle users

Worldwide guidelines have been studied to identify the most common parameters being considered for making a decision regarding identification of most suitable road crossing infrastructure. Delay being the most common parameter needs to be considered to make a decision regarding most suitable crossing infrastructure. This study proposes a methodology to select road crossing infrastructure type based on the delay caused to pedestrians and vehicle passengers. To estimate the average delay caused to pedestrians and vehicle users, data through videography have been collected at six locations in Delhi. At all six locations, average delay caused to pedestrians and vehicles users has been estimated using existing methods suitable for Indian traffic conditions and behavior. Total delay caused to all pedestrians and vehicle users has been calculated based on average delay, traffic volume count and number of pedestrians. Estimated gross delay for all users (total delay of pedestrians and vehicle users) for alternate road crossing infrastructures (at-grade signalized and grade-separated) has been compared to identify the one which causes minimum gross delay. Total delay has been compared for various scenarios developed considering the equal and higher priority for non-motorized and public transport users compared to personalized vehicle users.

Air quality in Delhi: status and concerns

Data on the status of air quality are presented for two locations in Delhi, the capital city of India, for 2013. Our study revealed that the levels of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate matter of 10 or <10 μm aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and benzene exceeded the maximum permissible limits laid down in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). On most of the monitoring days, the concentrations of PM10 also exceeded the limits for 24 h averages stipulated by the NAAQS. This study also demonstrated that the concentration of pollutants varied with the season, peaking in dry season (winter) mainly because of the relatively stable meteorological conditions and recording the lowest values in the wet season (the rainy season) because of turbulence, strong winds, and rains. The post-monsoon season showed the contribution of local sources. The strong correlation among NOx, PM10, and benzene strongly suggests that motor vehicles are the major contributor to this pollution. Intervention by regulatory agencies is essential to improve the air quality of Delhi.

Seasonal and Spatial Variation of BTEX in Ambient Air of Delhi

The present study aims to provide an indication of ambient levels of BTEX in the immediate vicinity of petrol filling stations in Delhi & other road side corridors of Delhi. In this study spatial and seasonal variation of BTEX has been measured at different locations in Delhi. For the measurement of VOCs, passive based diffusion methodology was adopted for the adsorption of BTEX over the activated charcoal. Four categories of sampling sites were chosen (residential, traffic junctions, road side corridors and petrol pumps). The result confirms that the aromatic concentrations in the ambient air of gas stations are appreciably higher than the average values in locations with high vehicular flux. The mean concentration of BTEX at all the locations was 0.622μg/m3, 0.361 μg/m3, 1.037 μg/m3 and 0.122 μg/m3. The average concentration of benzene was highest at petrol pump 3.5 μg/m3 however at all other sampling sites it was in the range of 0.294 to 0.712 μg/m3. The mean concentration value shows that the xylene concentration dominates more in Delhi as compared to benzene. The total average BTEX concentration at road side corridors was 0.594 μg.m-3, at residential corridors was 0.262 μg.m-3, at intersections it was 0.649 μg.m-3 and at petrol filling stations it was 1.457 μg.m-3. The concentration was in the order of petrol filling stations > intersections > road side corridors > residence. These data show the predominance of diesel driven vehicles in Delhi since xylene mainly comes from diesel exhausts. The influential VOC species in case of diesel engine exhaust are benzene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, propane, n-decane and undecane and in case of gasoline vehicle exhaust influential species are benzene, ethylbenzene, 1,2,4-methylbenzene, 1,3,5-methylbenzene, n-hexane and 2-methylhexane. So xylene is mainly coming from diesel exhaust since gasoline vehicle exhaust doesn’t show this species.

Comparison of ANN and Analytical Models in Traffic Noise Modeling and Predictions

This paper demonstrates the applications of artificial neural networks to predict the equivalent continuous sound level $$(L_\mathrm{Aeq})$$ and 10 Percentile exceeded sound level $$(L_\mathrm{10})$$ generated due to traffic noise for various locations in Delhi. A Model based on back-propagation neural network was trained, validated, and tested using the measured data. The work shows that the model is able to produce accurate predictions of hourly traffic noise levels. A comparative study shows that neural networks out-perform the multiple linear regression models developed in terms of total traffic flow and equivalent traffic flow. The prediction model proposed in the study may serve as a vital tool for traffic noise forecasting and noise abatement measures to be undertaken for Delhi city.

Analysis of ambient air quality using fuzzy air quality index: a case study of Delhi, India

Ambient air quality is one of the most serious environmental concerns in urban areas around the world, especially in developing countries. In recent years, there has been increasing concern over the adverse effects of air pollution on human health. In the present study, the concentrations of air pollutants and their adverse effect at various locations over Delhi are studied using fuzzy air quality index (FAQI). The 24-hourly average concentrations of main criteria pollutants viz., fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) over the years 2008 to 2012 have been used for the analysis at three different locations in Delhi (residential-Sirifort, industrial-DCE and busiest traffic intersection-ITO junction). Further, the weightages of criteria pollutants have been determined using an analytical hierarchical process to access the air quality index. The developed methodologies also have been compared with the conventional approach and validated with different statistical measures. The results clearly indicate that the air quality of Delhi is degraded and lies in the ranges of 'bad' and 'very bad' categories.

Estimation of vehicular emissions using dynamic emission factors: A case study of Delhi, India

The estimation of vehicular emissions depends mainly on the values of emission factors, which are used for the development of a comprehensive emission inventory of vehicles. In this study the variations of emission factors as well as the emission rates have been studied in Delhi. The implementation of compressed natural gas (CNG), in the diesel and petrol, public vehicles in the year 2001 has changed the complete air quality scenario of Delhi. The dynamic emission factors of criteria pollutants viz. carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10) for all types of vehicles have been developed after, which are based on the several factors such as regulated emission limits, number of vehicle deterioration, vehicle increment, vehicle age etc. These emission factors are found to be decreased continuously throughout the study years 2003–2012. The International Vehicle Emissions (IVE) model is used to estimate the emissions of criteria pollutants by utilizing a dataset available from field observations at different traffic intersections in Delhi. Thus the vehicular emissions, based on dynamic emission factors have been estimated for the years 2003–2012, which are found to be comparable with the monitored concentrations at different locations in Delhi. It is noticed that the total emissions of CO, NOx, and PM10 are increased by 45.63%, 68.88% and 17.92%, respectively up to the year 2012 and the emissions of NOx and PM10 are grown continuously with an annual average growth rate of 5.4% and 1.7% respectively.

The problem of the pillion rider: India's helmet law and New Delhi's exemption

BackgroundIn India, motorized two-wheeler (MTW) road traffic accidents injure or kill 72,000 women annually. Before the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988, which required mandatory helmet use for MTW riders, a study found 0.6% of all MTW pillions (backseat passengers) were helmeted. Citing religious protests to the legislation, Delhi's high court exempted the city's 12 million women from the law. We hypothesize that currently male pillions use helmets more frequently than females, and that overall pillion helmet usage has increased over the last 20 y. MethodsContinuous video was recorded in half-hour blocks at four locations in Delhi on separate days, totaling 8 hours of high- and low-volume traffic. Videos were reviewed with at least two reviewers extracting the number of MTW pillions, as well as their gender, approximate age, and helmet usage. ResultsOf 4010 pillions identified, 63.8% were male, 32.4% female, and 3.3% children. Among males, there were significantly more helmeted pillions (88.4%, P < 0.001); among females, there were significantly more unhelmeted pillions (99.4%, P < 0.001). Among unhelmeted pillions, significantly more were female (81.4%) than male (P < 0.001). Current overall pillion helmet use is significantly higher than historical rate (P < 0.001). ConclusionsThe significantly higher male pillion helmet usage compared with females indicates Delhi's helmet law is associated with increased compliance among those who fall under its jurisdiction. This augments the growing body of evidence that mandatory helmet laws are efficacious, thus repealing the exemption of women is an important step in increasing female pillion helmet usage.

Air Quality Prediction of PM10 through an Analytical Dispersion Model for Delhi

An analytical dispersion model for point, line and area sources is formulated in this work. The analytical solution of an advection-diffusion equation with the Neumann (total reflection) boundary conditions for a bounded domain is obtained for point sources using the separation of variable and wind speed as a power law profile of vertical height above the ground. The downwind and vertical eddy diffusivities are considered as an explicit function of downwind distance and vertical height. The formulations for line and area sources are obtained by integrating the point source formulation in crosswind, crosswind and downwind directions, respectively. A gridded emissions inventory of Delhi City for the year 2008–09 has been developed to estimate the strength of emissions from various sources, namely vehicles, industries, power plants and domestic sources, and this has been made using primary and secondary data of PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm). Dispersion models generally require steady and horizontally homogeneous hourly surface and upper air meteorological observations. However, hourly meteorological observations are not easily available for most of the locations in India. To overcome this limitation, meteorological variables are computed using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model (version 3.1.1) developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The performance of this analytical model is evaluated through concentrations of PM10 monitored at different locations in Delhi. The observed data for the period December 2008 has been obtained from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The model’s predicted values are found to be in good in agreement with the observed values. However, the model results depend on the accuracy of source strength data, i.e., the estimated values of emission rates for the various air pollutants.

Pedestrian Accident Analysis in Delhi using GIS

Walking is the most sustainable and most used mode of transportation in Indian cities. From 2006-2009, an estimated 8503 fatalities in road traffic crashes occurred in Delhi in which pedestrians contribute almost 51%. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) in identifying pedestrian accident-prone locations. Crash data were geocoded in ArcGIS over the digitized road map of Delhi. Results highlighted four pedestrian fatal hotspot locations in Delhi. Fatal pedestrian accidents were significantly clustered (p<0.05) over the Ring Road of Delhi at intersections. The analysis showed that the pedestrian fatalities at arterial road intersections involving cars and buses were 27% and 14% of all fatalities involving cars and buses respectively.

Quality of Life in the City of Delhi: An Assessment Based on Access to Basic Services

The quality of life is a fundamental aspect of development and advancement of human societies. However, measuring and expressing the quality of life in any given setting has proved difficult because it includes multiple dimensions. Further, methods based on questionnaire surveys have to contend with responses that are inexact and difficult to quantify. Here I estimate the quality of life of people living in the Indian city of Delhi using fuzzy sets theory, an approach that is designed to handle inexact or ‘fuzzy’ outcomes. Using a stratified random sample set of 330 households, I compare different locations in Delhi based on their access to seven basic services that is assumed to depict the quality of life. I found that the majority of services (in particular, the overall maintenance and transport services) are poor in resettlement colonies, unauthorised colonies, and urbanised villages. The quality of services improves in colonies under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Cantonment Board, the New Delhi Municipal Council, and approved colonies of the Delhi Development Authority. The overall patterns suggest that the differences in satisfaction and access are primarily influenced by location, and within each location they are influenced by economic conditions. Over 36 % of Delhi’s households, which are classified as ‘definitely poor’ and ‘extremely vulnerable’, may be deprived of transport services, around 44 % are deprived of overall maintenance services and over 29 % lack well-maintained green spaces in their neighbourhood. The analysis should draw the attention of policymakers on spatial aspects of development planning.

Vehicular emission inventory of criteria pollutants in Delhi

The rapid urbanization in Delhi has resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of motor vehicles with the increase in population and urban mobilization. The vehicular traffic is now recognized as one of the main sources of air pollution in Delhi and has noticeable impact on air quality. The emission of criteria pollutants namely Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) due to vehicles is estimated through the International Vehicle Emission (IVE) model, which includes the different driving modes of vehicles and meteorological parameters. The estimated emissions of Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) due to different types of vehicles in the year 2008–09 are found to be 509, 194 and 15 tons/day respectively. The diurnal variation of emissions of air pollutants shows two peaks, which are fortunately matching with the morning and evening office hours. The emissions of CO and NOx due to personal cars (PCs) are found to be about 34% and 50% respectively, and the emission of CO due to 2 W (2- Wheeler) is about 61%. Similarly, the Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs) are contributing PM about 92%. The analysis of fuel-wise emission of pollutants reveals that CO is mainly contributed by petrol, and NOx and PM are contributed by diesel. It is also noticeable that CO, NOx and PM emissions at ITO, one of the busiest traffic intersections of Delhi, are approximately 15, 6 and 0.5 tons/day respectively, which are found to be the maximum followed by Kashmiri Gate (ISBT), Nizamuddin etc. The present vehicular emissions inventory has been compared quantitatively with previous studies of Delhi. The present vehicular emission inventory has also validated using US environmental protection agency’s (USEPA’s) AERMOD model with observed concentration at different locations in Delhi. However, the present study shows that the air quality of Delhi has been degraded due to high level emissions of criteria pollutants.

Using GIS to assess pedestrian safety in Delhi

BackgroundWalking is the most sustainable and most used mode of transportation in Indian cities. From 2006–2009, an estimated 8503 fatalities due to accident occurred in Delhi in which pedestrians contribute...

Congener specific distribution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzo-p-furans in ambient air particulates (less than PM10) in Delhi, India

Polychlorinated dibenzo-&lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-&lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;-furans (PCDFs) are unintentionally formed during inefficient combustions and as a by-product. Due to their resistance to degradation and their toxic effect on health, PCDD/Fs are listed by the Stockholm Convention as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Once released into the atmosphere, most of them are adsorbed to air particles and transported away from sources in atmosphere. India signed the Stockholm Convention India agreeing thereby to reduce and eliminate the use of POPs. The German agency for Technical Cooperation helped develop facilities for monitoring POPs at a national level in Delhi. This paper presents the data generated during a training assignment for Central Pollution Control Board officials at the German laboratory. Air borne particulate matter (&amp;lt;PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;) was collected from 6 different locations in Delhi, India and analyzed in a German laboratory for 17 congeners of PCDD/Fs. The concentrations of &amp;Sigma;PCDD/Fs ranged between 1720-9010 fg m&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; (mean 5559 fg m&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt;) and their toxic equivalency values ranged from 67 to 460 fg I-toxic equivalent quantities (TEQ) m&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt;, with an average of 239 fg I-TEQ m&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; which was lower than the ambient air standards. The dominant congeners were octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD), octachlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (OCDF), 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorinated dibenzo- p-furans, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin. The contributions of individual homologs for &amp;Sigma;PCDDs/Fs I-TEQ was in the order of OCDD (31%)&amp;gt;HCDF (21%)&amp;gt;hexachlorodibenzofurans (13%)=OCDF (13%)&amp;gt; HCDF (12%) and other individual congeners contribute less than 5%. High chlorinated congeners contributed with more than 80% for &amp;Sigma;PCDD/Fs I-TEQ. Rough estimates of tolerable daily intake (TDI) shows low health risk of exposure to &amp;Sigma;PCDD/Fs with inhalation of 0.098 pg I-TEQ kg&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;day&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; for adult and 0.152 pg TEQ kg&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;day&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; for children, which is much lower than World Health Organization recommended TDI for dioxins.

Air quality impact assessment of NO x and PM due to diesel vehicles in Delhi

The impact of diesel vehicles on NO x and PM emissions at various locations in Delhi is assessed using two line source models; the California line source version 4 and the Indian Institute of Technology Line Source. The models offer comparable results but both under predicting the observed values with the Indian Institute of Technology model predictions being slightly better. The analysis also identifies hotspots due to concentrations of NO x and PM and their diurnal variations is found to be greater in at night hours.

Determination of arsenic and mercury metals in suspended particulate matter by flame/flameless atomic absorption spectrometer

A method has been developed for the accurate determination of arsenic and mercury deposited on suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected by high volume sampler (HVS) from various locations of Delhi (Capital city of India) by using hydride generator with flame/flameless Atomic Absorption spectrometry (AAS). Several diverse sites has been monitored for arsenic and mercury content in environment by analyzing the samples by the method proposed, but in the present study we are reporting data from seven diverse sites Ashram (S–1; heavy traffic zone), Azadpur (S–2; industrial zone), Loni Road (S–3; densely populated + traffic zone), Pitampura (S–4; urban background zone), Highway no. 56 (S–5; traffic zone), Naraina (S–6; industrial zone) and NPL (S–7; mix zone).The standard deviation of the measurements has been calculated on the basis of six observations of two replicates (three each) of each analyzed species and was found to be less than 3.5% by the proposed method. The validity of the method proposed has been established by standard addition of arsenic and mercury in the procedureal blank (without sample) and also to check the loss during the process. It has been found that in five replicates, arsenic and mercury recoveries were 99.3±0.4% and 99.1±0.6% respectively within 95% confidence level. The method proposed is highly reproducible and can be used for accurate determination of arsenic and mercury in the atmospheric particulate matter samples. The arsenic concentration varied from 1.3±0.11ng/m3 to 5.1±0.27ng/m3, while concentration of mercury varied from 1.4±0.21ng/m3 to 12.5±0.81ng/m3, in seven diverse sites of the Delhi.