QUE: What are BS Norms? Describe the benefits of implementing BS VI.

According to the United Nations, 9 out of 10 people in the world are breathing polluted air. According to WHO, 70 lakh people die every year due to polluted air. In India alone, one lakh children under the age of five die every year due to air pollution.

One of the main reasons for which is pollution caused by vehicles. To reduce this pollution, the Government of India has announced BS Norms (Bharat Standard Norms).

• BS Norms:

→ BS Norms are related to the design of vehicle engines and include the quality levels of petrol and diesel.

→ They are imposed by the Government of India to limit the amount of pollutants emitted by internal combustion engines and spark engines, including motor vehicles.

→ Bharat Stage (BS) standards are set by the Ministry of Environment and are implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

→ First in AD These standards were implemented in 2000. Which were inspired by the European Union.

→ In addition, BS2 and BS3 standards were implemented in 2001 and 2005 respectively.

→ BS4 standards were implemented in the entire country from 2017. BS 5 standards have been skipped.

→ BS 6 standards have been implemented in the entire country from 1 April, 2020.

→ BS Norms reduce the emission rate of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (PM), sulfur, etc.

• Benefits of implementing BS6:

BS 6 will significantly reduce the amount of NOx, which will improve air quality. NOx is mostly the main cause of respiratory diseases.

The PM 2.5 content per cubic meter of fuel in BS 6 is 20 to 40 micrograms, while in BS 4 it is 120 micrograms. Therefore, the PM emission in diesel engines is reduced by 80%.

The sulphur content in BS 6 fuel will be reduced by five times compared to BS 4.

In addition, air pollution will be reduced due to the reduction of other toxic elements.

According to BS 6 standards, the sulphur content in diesel has been reduced to 10 PPM. Due to which the density of diesel will increase, and this higher density fuel will help in reducing air pollution.

In addition, the reduction in the emission of PM, sulphur and NOx from BS 6 is as follows.

                        Thus, the world is currently facing many environmental problems. In which India is among the top five countries in air pollution. Therefore, BS-6 will prove to be more important in reducing it and protecting human health.