Delhi Tackles Air Pollution With Trial Car Ban

To address the ever-constant threat of air pollution in the city, Delhi’s government has introduced an odd-even car ban for two weeks.

AsianScientist (Jan. 15, 2016) – To combat its pressing air pollution problem, Delhi, capital territory of India and one of the world’s most polluted cities, has issued a two-week car ban that effectively halves the number of cars on its roads.

In December, India’s Supreme Court issued an order prohibiting odd numbered non-transport four wheeled vehicles (privately owned cars) on Delhi’s roads on even dates and vice versa, except for Sundays, from January 1, 2016 to January 15, 2016.

“On January 1, cars with numbers ending with 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 will operate. Similarly on January 2, cars with numbers ending with 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 will be allowed to ply,” Transport Minister Gopal Rai was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

This and other measures, such as a temporary ban on the sale of large diesel vehicles, are being implemented throughout the year as part of a government action plan on air pollution reduction.

Critics have argued that the car ban is impractical as Delhi’s public transportation system is “woefully inadequate” and there are too few traffic policemen to enforce the new rules, The Telegraph reported.

Furthermore, the ban was quickly watered down from its original version days after the announcement, bringing its effectiveness into question. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was quoted by The Guardian as saying that all women, top politicians, judges, police and prison officials and sick people were exempt from the ruling.

This doesn’t bode well for the city, which was named the world’s most polluted city by the World Health Organization in 2014.

As the ban nears its end at the time of writing, its success has been debatable. According to India’s System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research, Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration levels have been fluctuating between the “very poor” and “severe” levels since January 1, the start of the ban, reaching a high of 289 on Thursday, January 7. In contrast, the World Health Organization’s safe limit is 25, Channel News Asia reported.

But the levels have gone down since. On January 14, a day before the ban was to reach its conclusion, Delhi’s PM 2.5 concentration was 143—in the “very poor” range, but nevertheless, a slight improvement.

In light of this, Rai made a statement on that same day, saying that the odd-even plan will be back for a second phase, according to The Indian Express.

“We will take stock of these 15 days and based on our findings, we will decide what shape it will take in the future. We will also discuss what other measures for pollution control can be taken in the future,” said Rai.

Kejriwal will be leading a review meeting to discuss the details of the second iteration of the plan on January 18.

———

Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Shutterstock.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Coming from a design background, Filzah brings a fresh perspective to science communications. She is particularly interested in healthcare and technology.

Related Stories from Asian Scientist