Pollution, restriction of vehicle use

Pollution has reached alarming levels in certain cities. Exceptional situations require exceptional measures. The city of New Delhi will restrict the use of vehicles next week to limit the increase in pollution in the capital, as air quality remained dangerously unsafe for the third consecutive day despite the efforts of Indian authorities, according to Reuters. New Delhi becomes one of the most polluted cities in the world every year before the onset of winter when weak winds and low temperatures trap pollutants from sources including vehicles, industry, construction dust, and burning crop residues in the surrounding fields. A thick blanket of smog enveloped the federal secretariat and the presidential palace located in the heart of the city on Monday, causing visibility to drop in other areas of the city, amid public outrage over the hazardous air quality and the widespread closure of primary schools until November 10. Local authorities said they would enforce the alternate-day use of vehicles with "even-odd" license plate numbers from November 13 to 20 to curb rising pollution levels following the Hindu festival of Diwali, which falls on November 12 and sees fireworks used despite a ban. Environmental experts have previously said that the rule, which has been imposed multiple times with various variations since 2016, has been more effective in decongesting roads and less effective in reducing pollution. "As pollution levels rise, the even-odd vehicle scheme will be imposed in New Delhi," said Gopal Rai, the local Environment Minister. The air quality was labeled as "severe" for the third consecutive day on Monday, and the Indian metropolis ranks as the second most polluted city in the world, after Lahore in Pakistan, according to real-time monitoring by the Swiss company IQAir. However, a Cricket World Cup match between the Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi teams took place on Monday, and organizers installed air purifiers in the players' cabins and used water sprayers to reduce air pollution levels. Vehicle restrictions add to a ban on public construction projects in the capital region, as well as restrictions on the entry of trucks and heavy vehicles into New Delhi, imposed on Sunday by a federal pollution control agency. According to an analysis of 25 studies conducted by the Down To Earth magazine, poor air quality is associated with lower birth weights, premature births, delays in development, stunted growth in children, and even death.