The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has planned to convert all ambulances connected to government hospitals in Delhi-NCR to electric vehicles (EVs) in addition to installing retrofitted emission control devices (RECD) in Diesel Generator (DG) sets used in healthcare facilities.

On Thursday, the pollution board asked hospitals for information regarding the capacity of DG sets and the number of ambulances connected to each one. The reports must be written and submitted by the hospitals to the CPCB by October 28. The CPCB will be in charge of managing the finances for the conversion.

No restrictions are imposed on the movement of ambulances or the use of generators during emergency services, even if the air quality falls into the "severe" category. Particulate matter in the air can be reduced by using RECD on diesel gen-sets with 800kW gross mechanical power.

In contrast to the unorganized sector, which has been purchasing 30,000–40,000 machines annually, the organized sector has been adding 1.2 lakh DG sets annually, per statistics acquired by CPCB over the past five years.

Experts said that the oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and even particulate matter emitted by a generator have a detrimental effect on the environment and people. 

The air quality is substantially reduced, making it difficult for the people residing around DG sets to breathe and adversely affecting their quality of life. People suffering from asthma and COPD are affected the most.

Officials stated that using new generators would help to reduce emissions by 70% compared to old DG sets and help to improve the air quality in the region.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/hospitals/cpcb-set-to-convert-ambulances-in-govt-hospitals-into-evs-in-delhi-ncr/95007044)