By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 28: While Shillong’s lush landscapes and cool air have long attracted tourists seeking respite, the city’s deteriorating air quality has raised alarm. One of the main contributors to this issue is the rising number of vehicles clogging Shillong’s roads. Amidst this, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) remains frustratingly low, leaving the city’s potential for cleaner air unrealized.
According to a recent report by AirVoice, a global organisation focused on air quality challenges, Shillong’s air quality now lags behind other hill stations such as Gangtok and Thiruvananthapuram. With over 566,120 vehicles registered as of 2024, only a small fraction of these are electric. The city’s dependence on fossil-fueled vehicles is suffocating the environment, with increasing vehicular emissions causing air pollution to reach alarming levels.
As Shillong prepares for another busy tourist season, the question arises: Can electric vehicles offer the city a lifeline before it’s too late?
The push for electric vehicles across India has gained momentum, yet Meghalaya remains one of the states lagging behind.
Despite strong national and state policies promoting electric mobility, fewer than 500 electric vehicles had been registered in Meghalaya by 2024—a figure woefully low compared to the over half a million vehicles already crowding Shillong’s narrow roads.
While neighboring states have embraced the shift to greener transport, Shillong’s low adoption rate can be attributed to several factors, chief among them the lack of adequate EV infrastructure, such as charging stations, and the high initial cost of electric vehicles. This sluggish growth in EV adoption has allowed traditional petrol and diesel vehicles to dominate, resulting in the ongoing decline in air quality.
Official data reveals that the number of vehicles in Shillong has surged, with over 25,000 new vehicles registered just this year. The direct impact of this vehicular boom is evident in the city’s deteriorating air quality. An analysis by AirVoice between January and June 2024 showed that Shillong exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) on 20% of the days — far surpassing the permissible 2%.
Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) is the primary pollutant choking the city. In June 2024, Shillong recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 34, which is moderate by Indian standards but still significantly higher than Gangtok’s AQI of 14. The situation is expected to worsen as more vehicles are added to the city’s congested streets. With only a small number of EVs in operation, Shillong’s air quality continues to deteriorate under the burden of fossil fuel emissions.
The potential for electric vehicles to reverse Shillong’s air quality crisis is clear. EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, reducing the release of harmful pollutants like carbon dioxide and particulate matter. In a city like Shillong, where traffic congestion exacerbates air pollution, widespread adoption of EVs—especially in public and tourist transportation — could lead to immediate improvements in air quality.
With government incentives, including tax breaks and subsidies for EV buyers, the path toward greener transportation is within reach — but only if the necessary infrastructure keeps pace.