Delhi implements stricter pollution controls and work from home orders
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Authorities in New Delhi, India, launched a stricter Winter Action Plan on Sunday to reduce toxic smog in the capital.
The city government doubled vehicle parking charges and mandated work from home arrangements for both government and private sector offices. These measures aim to lower traffic emissions during the winter months when cooler temperatures trap pollutants near the ground. Officials also banned all demolition and outdoor construction activities that generate dust.
Furthermore, the government will block any vehicles that do not meet mandated emission standards from entering the city. The environment ministry of India reports that vehicles contribute 23 percent of the winter pollution in Delhi, while biomass burning from neighboring states accounts for 20 percent. Industrial activity, including coal fired power plants, contributes about nine percent. These sources combine to create high levels of PM 2.5, which are tiny particles that can enter the lungs and bloodstream.
Previous efforts to curb pollution have struggled to prevent the annual smog that occurs from November to January. Monitoring equipment recorded PM 2.5 levels at 201 micrograms per cubic metre on Sunday, which exceeds the World Health Organization daily limit by more than 13 times. A study in The Lancet Planetary Health estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution.
