As directed by the Supreme Court, from November 3, all pumps in the municipal limits of Delhi have been getting low-benzene petrol from refineries. Only two refineries in the country, Indian Oil Corporation's Mathura plant and Reliance Industries' Jamnagar plant, are producing petrol with one per cent benzene, though.

The court has also ordered that the National Capital Region (NCR) as well should be supplied with the same quality petrol by March 1, 2001. As of now, NCR towns like Gurgoan, Noida and Ghaziabad get petrol having 3 per cent benzene.

In the meantime, Mumbai will be getting petrol with 1 per cent benzene from January 1, 2001, a New Year's gift for its denizens, says a senior petroleum ministry official. But Calcuttans may have to wait another two years before the refineries supplying it with petrol can make the requisite changes in their refining process to bring the benzene level to 1 per cent, the official added.

However, low-benzene petrol alone is not good enough. The level of aromatics is yet to be lowered and some environmentalists point out that the benzene release from these aromatics may still keep the level of benzene in the atmosphere at dangerous levels. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says that the level of aromatics is at 48 to 52 per cent compared with the world's best at 25 per cent. At 25 per cent, the level of benzene release into the atmosphere can be reduced by a further 42 per cent, CSE points out.

``Fuel quality managers have ignored the need for controlling the levels of total aromatics in unleaded petrol. Benzene emissions will still be high since the combustion of other aromatics like toulene and xylene also produces benzene,'' says a statement from Mr Anil Agarwal, director of CSE.

The world's best fuels have 25 per cent aromatics in their fuel. Though, there are no safe levels for benzene, according to the World Health Organization. Petrol pump workers are at the highest risk of contracting lung diseases like asthma and leukemia from the benzene released from the combustion of petrol.

Mr Kamal Meattle, CEO of Paharpur Business Centre, the man who filed the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a reduction in the levels of benzene, says the move is a welcome step. ``But the petroleum ministry should work on supplying the whole country with 1 per cent benzene petrol as soon as possible,'' Mr Meattle says. He is also peeved with the fact that the ministry is now planning to add MTDE, an alcohol-based chemical, to petrol. Says he, ``The ministry is now planning to add MTDE, an alcohol-based chemical, to increase the octane level in petrol. But this substance has been banned in California (the state that's known for its stringent anti-pollution measures), and we don't want it to be used in India.''

He adds that he has already pointed this out to the task force, which has been set up by the ministry under Dr Dilip Biswas, the chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), to look into the issue of providing cleaner fuels. The task force is due to submit its report by the end of this year.