Delhi launches anti-pollution drive for private cars

Rahul Bedi in New Delhi

India's capital New Delhi has launched major restrictions, albeit temporary ones, on private cars to lower smog levels in the world's most polluted city.

From January 1st, privately owned vehicles with even- and odd-numbered licence plates are permitted to ply their trade on alternate days in the city during an initial 15-day trial period, except for Sundays, when the rules do not apply.

Thousands of traffic police and volunteers, wearing elaborate masks, took to the streets to enforce the scheme under which only cars with odd numbers were allowed to run in the city.

Cars with even-numbered plates would be permitted to operate on the remaining three days of the week.

“Delhi has done it” tweeted the capital’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who initiated the scheme.

“Reports so far encouraging,” he added on a day when pollution levels touched a “hazardous” 429 on the US embassy’s air quality index, some 30 times more than permissible levels.

Noxious fumes hang like a pall over the city during winter months, affecting visibility even during the day.

Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to potentially severe respiratory problems.

The alarming pollution levels has led to many diplomatic missions in Delhi reducing the postings of their personnel from three to two years.

Schools, meanwhile, have been closed for the duration of the anti-pollution drive so that their buses can be used to ferry commuters to work.

Delhi continues to be short of about 10,000 buses to transport its vast population – estimated at about 25 million.

Mr Kejriwal said the measures could be continued on a more permanent basis if successful, although critics said the scheme was poised to fail.

They said the restrictions do not go far enough, and provide far too many exemptions, including motorcyclists – who contribute 31 per cent to pollution levels – and women drivers.

Senior politicians, judges, police and prison officials are also exempt and a thriving underground industry making fake licence plates had emerged in Delhi.

A recent World Health Organisation survey of some 1,600 cities ranked Delhi as the most polluted, even more than Beijing, largely because of nearly nine million vehicles travelling on its roads every day.

More than 23 per cent of these run on poor quality diesel, which environmentalists maintain are the worst offenders. Diesel has been heavily subsidised by the government as it was used widely in the agricultural sector.

Air pollution is responsible for more than 600,000 deaths each year across India, with more in Delhi than anywhere else.