インドの大気汚染、世界最悪レベル どうしたら改善できるか、専門家に聞く

インドの首都ニューデリーは大気汚染が世界最悪レベルにある。この深刻な状況はどうして生まれ、政府はどう対応するべきなのか。地元の調査期間に聞いてみた。
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Vehicles sit in traffic on a road shrouded in haze in New Delhi, India, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. India, China and Brazil, three of the largest developing nations, joined the U.S. in a list of the biggest historical contributors to global warming, according to a study by researchers in Canada. Photographer: Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg via Getty Images

インドは経済成長著しい巨大新興国だが、一方で首都ニューデリーは大気汚染を引き起こす微小粒子状物質(PM2.5)の濃度が世界最悪レベルにある。この深刻な状況に対して危機意識の低い政府や自治体の対策は後手に回り、国民の健康被害が懸念されている。

世界保健機関(WHO)の2014年5月のリポートによると、PM2.5の濃度は、2013年は平均で1立方メートル当たり153マイクログラムと、WHOが許容できるとする基準の15倍もあった。中国の大気汚染を日本メディアはよく取り上げるが、ニューデリーの濃度は北京の3倍にもなる数字だ。そんな中、子供の呼吸器疾患は増えており、大気汚染が要因の一つであると指摘されている。

記者は2014年末にニューデリーを訪れた。道路が自動車であふれてとにかく渋滞がひどいという印象で、目的地に到着する時間がなかなか予測できなかった。渋滞しているときに横を見ると、車やオートリキシャ(3輪タクシー)は灰色の排気ガスをたっぷりとはき出していた。街を歩くと、ディーゼルの排ガスの臭いが漂っていた。

ホテルから眼下の街を眺めると、至る所に樹木が植えられ多くの緑が広がっていた。しかし、街はうっすらと白くかすみ、遠くまで見通すことができなかった。

大気汚染が深刻化するインド
India Brown Air(01 of20)
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In this Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 photo, India Gate, the war memorial, is seen through haze in New Delhi, India. A decade ago, plans for a metro and clean-fuel buses were hailed as New Delhi\'s answer to pollution. But air in the Indian capital is as dirty as ever - partly because its continued development has brought skyrocketing use of cars. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
大気汚染が深刻化するインド(02 of20)
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NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 7: Children cover their face to take precaution from the air pollution by a mixture of pollution and fog at NCR region on November 7, 2012 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) (credit:Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
India Obama Climate(03 of20)
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Smoke rises from a brick kiln on the outskirts of Gauhati, India, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. The White House is hoping that the surprise deal with China late last year setting ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions will influence India and others. Heavy reliance on fossil fuels has transformed New Delhi into the planet\'s most polluted capital and made India the third biggest national emitter of greenhouse gases. (AP Photo/ Anupam Nath) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
India Obama Climate(04 of20)
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In this Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015 photo, smoke from a truck fills the air as an Indian woman walks by in New Delhi, India. When U.S. President Barack Obama visits New Delhi from Sunday, he will join the Indian capital\'s masses in breathing some of the world\'s filthiest air. Hazy skies will serve as the backdrop to meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials who are expected to discuss India\'s biggest environmental woes: Heavy reliance on fossil fuels that has transformed New Delhi into the planet\'s most polluted capital and made India the third biggest national emitter of greenhouse gases. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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An Indian man burns garbage by the side of a road in Mumbai, India, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. India says it is taking bold steps against climate change with plans for a five-fold increase in renewable energy capacity. However, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the country won\'t act to curb carbon emissions because it first must pursue economic growth to eradicate poverty. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
India Climate Talks(06 of20)
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An Indian man works on the roof of a factory as smoke rises from another factory at an industrial area in Ahmadabad, India, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. India says it is taking bold steps against climate change with plans for a five-fold increase in renewable energy capacity. However, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the country won\'t act to curb carbon emissions because it first must pursue economic growth to eradicate poverty. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Climate Change(07 of20)
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FILE- In this Oct. 17, 2014, file photo, a thick blanket of smoke is seen against the setting sun as young ragpickers search for reusable material at a garbage dump in New Delhi, India. India launched the Air Quality Index Friday to measure air quality across the nation that is home to some of the most polluted cities in the world. A groundbreaking agreement struck Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, by the United States and China puts the world\'s two worst polluters on a faster track to curbing the heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The Impact On Environment And People Caused By Indias Growing Demand For Energy Covered By Coal Based Energy Generation And The Neglection Of Proper Coal Waste Disposal(08 of20)
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CHILKATAND VILLAGE, SONBHADRA DISTRICT, UTTAR PRADESH JANUARY 20: An unidentified man adds some coal to a cooking stove which will be used to prepare the dinner for his family in the late evening hours on January 20, 2015 in Chilkatand village, Sonbhadra District, Uttar Pradesh. India already produces more than half of its consumed energy from coal and is extensively expanding mining and coal based energy generation to cover the growing needs for cheap energy facilitating fast economic development. The toll for coal based energy generation and an inadequate disposal of its hazardous waste is often severe environmental pollution and serious illnesses caused by different kinds of water, earth and air contamination. (Photo by Enrico Fabian for The Washington Post via Getty Images) (credit:The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Impact On Environment And People Caused By Indias Growing Demand For Energy Covered By Coal Based Energy Generation And The Neglection Of Proper Coal Waste Disposal(09 of20)
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CHILKATAND VILLAGE, SONBHADRA DISTRICT, UTTAR PRADESH JANUARY 20: An unidentified woman overlooks her village as smoke rises from the distant chimneys of the coal based power plants Shaktinagar and Vindhyanagar of the government-owned NTPC cooperation on January 20, 2015 in Chilkatand village, Sonbhadra District, Uttar Pradesh. India already produces more than half of its consumed energy from coal and is extensively expanding mining and coal based energy generation to cover the growing needs for cheap energy facilitating fast economic development. The toll for coal based energy generation and an inadequate disposal of its hazardous waste is often severe environmental pollution and serious illnesses caused by different kinds of water, earth and air contamination. (Photo by Enrico Fabian for The Washington Post via Getty Images) (credit:The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Impact On Environment And People Caused By Indias Growing Demand For Energy Covered By Coal Based Energy Generation And The Neglection Of Proper Coal Waste Disposal(10 of20)
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SONBHADRA DISTRICT, UTTAR PRADESH JANUARY 19: The sun sets next to power lines while smoke rises from the chimneys of the coal based power plants Shaktinagar and Vindhyanagar of the government-owned NTPC cooperation on January 19, 2015 in Sonbhadra District, Uttar Pradesh. India already produces more than half of its consumed energy from coal and is extensively expanding mining and coal based energy generation to cover the growing needs for cheap energy facilitating fast economic development. The toll for coal based energy generation and an inadequate disposal of its hazardous waste is often severe environmental pollution and serious illnesses caused by different kinds of water, earth and air contamination. (Photo by Enrico Fabian for The Washington Post via Getty Images) (credit:The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Roadside Pollution as India Joins List Of Biggest Historical Contributors To Global Warming(11 of20)
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Traffic moves along a road shrouded in haze in New Delhi, India, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. India, China and Brazil, three of the largest developing nations, joined the U.S. in a list of the biggest historical contributors to global warming, according to a study by researchers in Canada. Photographer: Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Roadside Pollution as India Joins List Of Biggest Historical Contributors To Global Warming(12 of20)
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A cyclist passes traffic while traveling along a bridge shrouded in haze in New Delhi, India, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. India, China and Brazil, three of the largest developing nations, joined the U.S. in a list of the biggest historical contributors to global warming, according to a study by researchers in Canada. Photographer: Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Roadside Pollution as India Joins List Of Biggest Historical Contributors To Global Warming(13 of20)
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A cyclist passes police barricades in front of the Red Fort shrouded in haze in New Delhi, India, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. India, China and Brazil, three of the largest developing nations, joined the U.S. in a list of the biggest historical contributors to global warming, according to a study by researchers in Canada. Photographer: Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Roadside Pollution as India Joins List Of Biggest Historical Contributors To Global Warming(14 of20)
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A schoolgirl crosses a road shrouded in haze in New Delhi, India, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. India, China and Brazil, three of the largest developing nations, joined the U.S. in a list of the biggest historical contributors to global warming, according to a study by researchers in Canada. Photographer: Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
大気汚染が深刻化するインド(15 of20)
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Scavengers crowd around a fresh load of garbage dumped by a collection truck on the outskirts of Gauhati, India, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. The White House is hoping that the surprise deal with China late last year setting ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions will influence India and others. Heavy reliance on fossil fuels has transformed New Delhi into the planet\'s most polluted capital and made India the third biggest national emitter of greenhouse gases. (AP Photo/ Anupam Nath) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
大気汚染が深刻化するインド(16 of20)
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TO GO WITH: India-environment-pollution-health,FOCUS by Annie Banerji\nAn Indian sweeper cleans a flyover as smog covers the capital\'s skyline the morning after celebrations for the Diwali festival in New Delhi on October 24, 2014. Thick smoke hung over New Delhi as millions of Indians lit firecrackers to mark the Diwali festival, but calls for a boycott highlighted growing concerns over air quality in one of the world\'s most polluted cities. Pollution in the Indian capital reached \'severe\' levels on October 24, the day after Diwali, according to a new air quality index launched as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi\'s \'Clean India\' mission. That means the concentration of airborne particles known as PM2.5, which are considered the most harmful, was more than 250 -- 10 times the upper limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH SINGH (Photo credit should read PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PRAKASH SINGH via Getty Images)
大気汚染が深刻化するインド(17 of20)
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Pedestrians are silhouetted as traffic passes through toll gates shrouded in haze at night in New Delhi, India, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. India, China and Brazil, three of the largest developing nations, joined the U.S. in a list of the biggest historical contributors to global warming, according to a study by researchers in Canada. Photographer: Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
大気汚染が深刻化するインド(18 of20)
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[UNVERIFIED CONTENT] Evening on the Ganges in Varanasi.The people in the boats are watching traditional Arti ceremony.\nGanga Arti ceremony to express respect for Mother Ganges as well as goddess Shiva and purify the air pollution. Involves burning incense, chanting & ringing of bells. The ceremony is performed every evening at sunset (credit:Enn Li Photography via Getty Images)
大気汚染が深刻化するインド(19 of20)
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A tourist stands in the middle of a street in front of the Presidential Palace enveloped by a blanket of smog, caused by a mixture of pollution and fog, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Environmentalists say that the level of pollution in the city has reached an alarming level, according to news reports. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
大気汚染が深刻化するインド(20 of20)
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INDIA - NOVEMBER 07: Sweepers work early in the morning against the backdrop of India Gate, a war memorial, covered in haze in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007. New Delhi, which has a vehicle for every three residents, is getting smothered with pollution as diesel fumes hinder a campaign to clear the air before India\'s capital hosts the Commonwealth Games. (Photo by Sanjit Das/Bloomberg via Getty Images) (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)

どうしてこんなにひどい状況なのか。ニューデリーにあるインドの公的調査機関「科学環境センター」の大気汚染専門家アヌミタ・ロイチョードリーさんは「厳しい状況です。とくに冬は最もひどくなります」と話し始めた。ニューデリーでは6カ所で大気のモニタリングをしており、毎時、データを計測している。汚染は急激な経済成長に伴って1990年代後半から悪化、「街はひどく臭い、歩くと目が痛くなりました」という。2000年代前半は少し落ち着いたのだが、2000年代後半から急激に深刻化しているという。

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インド科学環境センターのアヌミタ・ロイチョードリーさん

「ディーゼル車が爆発的に増えていることが大きい」と話す。汚染源の半分以上が排ガスだ。経済成長に伴ってニューデリーを走る車は2002年からの8年間で倍に増えた。首都圏だけで毎日1400台ずつ車が増えている。120万台を超える車が、ニューデリーとその近隣都市の間を毎日行き来しているのだという。

これまでニューデリーは、自家用車の台数を減らすため、公共交通機関の強化を進めてきた。計約200キロになる地下鉄路線が建設され、バスの本数を増やすため国営だけでなく民間への委託も進められてきた。「メトロ(地下鉄)ができて改善した面もあります。しかし、少しばかり遅きに失しました」と嘆く。

ディーゼル車は相変わらず増えており、新車の半数以上がそうだという。理由は単純に、燃料のディーゼルの方がガソリンよりも安いからだ。ロイチョードリーさんは、ニューデリーがディーゼルの価格を非常に高価にするか、自家用車での使用を許可しないようにすればいいと提案。また、自動車税や駐車場料金のアップを方策としてあげる。

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朝のニューデリー中心部。街全体がうっすら白みがかって遠くが見渡せない=2014年12月

「インドの対策は、ヨーロッパよりも10年以上遅れています。車の量を減らしたり、いい燃料を使ったりすればいいのですが、シナリオは物足りません。自動車税や駐車料金を上げるのも手です」と話す。ニューデリーは駐車料金が安く、10ルピー(約19円)や20ルピー程度で、「これでは車使用の抑止になりません」と話す。駐車場料金に関しては、高い東京が一つのサンプルだと指摘する。

「自動車産業が、これらの改革に抵抗するかもしれません。ディーゼルには問題がないと主張するかもしれませんし、自動車産業の成長がインド経済の未来のために必要なのもわかります。しかしこれは、人々の命がかかった、負けることの出来ない戦いなのです。それを忘れないでほしい」。ロイチョードリーさんは、言葉を選ぶように語った。

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インドの貧困地区に生きる人たち
(01 of13)
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スラムに住む子供たち。後ろはゴミの山だった=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(02 of13)
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赤ん坊を抱える女性。東部西ベンガル州から来た=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(03 of13)
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スラムに住む子供たち。路上にはゴミが散らかっていた=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(04 of13)
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地面に座り込んで食事を作る女性=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(05 of13)
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スラムの後方には、高層マンションがそびえ立っていた=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(06 of13)
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スラムに住む子供たち。家はトタンで出来ているが、衛星アンテナでテレビを見られる=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(07 of13)
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スラムのゴミ山に牛がいた=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(08 of13)
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スラムのトタンで出来た家の内部。テレビが大きな娯楽だ=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(09 of13)
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ゴミをリサイクル用に整理する男性=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(10 of13)
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スラム街の家族たち。東部の西ベンガル州からやってきた=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(11 of13)
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自転車を改造、エンジンをつけて三輪車にしていた=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(12 of13)
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スラム近くで水たばこを吸う女性=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)
(13 of13)
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スラム近くでナッツを売る男性=インド・グルガオン (credit:Wataru Nakano)