Delhi’s winter pollution controls took effect Sunday, and AFP reported the city doubled parking charges and introduced remote-work arrangements for government and private offices to reduce traffic emissions.
The controls also bar vehicles that do not meet required emissions standards from entering Delhi and suspend demolition and outdoor construction that generate dust, AFP reported.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s office said Nov. 1 marked the start of the Winter Action Plan, with tougher enforcement and monitoring around the clock. EconoTimes previously reported that a seasonal entry restriction for vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) standards was also due to begin Nov. 1.
India’s environment ministry attributes 23% of Delhi’s winter pollution to vehicle emissions, 20% to biomass burning, including farm stubble fires, and about 9% to industry, including coal-fired power plants. AFP reported that the city had already banned waste burning and limited food stalls’ use of coal and firewood.
AFP reported a Sunday PM2.5 reading of 201 micrograms per cubic meter, more than 13 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily guideline. The outlet said intermittent rain in recent days may have helped ease the reading.
AFP said earlier controls have not prevented Delhi’s annual smog season, which typically runs from November through January as cooler weather holds pollutants near the surface. A 2024 estimate in The Lancet Planetary Health associated air pollution with 3.8 million deaths in India from 2009 to 2019.
