Diesel Consumption in Delhi declined by 26% in 2010-11

Diesel consumption in Delhi declined by a startling 26% in 2010-11 compared to 2009-10. Delhi was however found to have used 2.24% more petrol in the same period. As per the latest Delhi government figures, the consumption of diesel in the city was 8.11 lakh metric tonnes in 2010-2011 as against 10.98 lakh metric tonnes the year before.

The drop of around three lakh metric tonnes of diesel in 2010-11 came when nearly five lakh new cars were added to the city roads in the same period.

According to government statistics, the number of vehicles in the city went up to 69.32 lakh in 2010-11 from 64.51 lakh in 2009-10. The decline in diesel consumption despite significant increase in number of vehicles was attributed to expansion of metro network and modernisation of bus transport. The city had only 5.62 lakh vehicles in 1981.

The total number of vehicles in Delhi is more than the combined total of vehicles in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. On an average, over 1000 vehicles gets added to the city roads everyday.

The consumption of CNG and petrol, however, swelled by 19.2% and 2. 24% in 2010-11,respectively, as compared to their consumption in 2009-11. In 2010-11, the city consumed a total of 8.25 lakh metric tonnes of petrol as against 8.07 lakh metric tonnes in the previous year.

The consumption of petrol, which was 6.12 lakh metric tonnes in 2003-04, has been on the rise while consumption of diesel has been on the decline since 2007-08. The city consumed 13.94 lakh metric tonnes of diesel in 2007-08.