India: Delhi restricts car use as toxic smog covers city

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog

Through the smog

Dense smog hung over central Delhi, where many pedestrians and bikers were seen wearing face masks. Authorities have declared a public health emergency, warning of a spike in locals suffering breathing difficulties, burning eyes and scratchy throats.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog

Toxic cloud

Delhi's India Gate, one of the capital's national monuments, was shrouded in a toxic cloud. The pollution prompted India's Supreme Court to order construction work across the city be halted until Tuesday. Authorities have also temporarily closed schools and handed out millions of pollution masks.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog

'Gas chamber'

Delhi's chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, who has compared his city to a "gas chamber," said in a video posted to Twitter that "there is smoke everywhere and people, including youngsters, kids, elderly are finding it difficult to breathe."

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog

Leave the car at home

In an effort to tackle the smog, Delhi authorities banned half the capital's private cars from the roads. Under the regulation, vehicles must stay at home on alternate days, depending on whether their number plates end in an odd or even number. Motorbikes, scooters and public transport are are exempt from the "odd-even" scheme.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog

'Obey odd and even'

These traffic volunteers hold a sign urging motorists to "obey odd and even" and "remove pollution." More than 600 police teams and volunteers were deployed at intersections to hand out fines of nearly 4,000 rupees ($60; €54) to anyone breaking the new rules.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog

No smog solution

Experts warn the car restrictions won't be enough to tackle the problem. "If air pollution was solely due to the vehicular traffic, then this would be a solution," climate policy analyst Siddharth Singh told Agence France-Presse. "Right now it cannot be a solution because motorized private transport has a very small share in the whole pie."

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog

Pollution hotspot

Not everyone has heeded warnings from authorities to stay indoors. Delhi locals are no strangers to high levels of pollution, and many simply went about their lives as as usual. India has 10 of the world's most polluted cities, according to the World Health Organization.

Author: Natalie Muller