New Delhi Dec 5 (BNA): India’s capital, New Delhi, was engulfed in thick smog as cold weather exacerbated pollution and the government banned private construction in and around the city in a bid to reduce dust and emissions.
Residents of New Delhi and its suburbs suffer from bad air every winter, Reuters reports, as cooler, heavier air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from burning crop stubble in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana.
The air quality index in several parts of the city ranged between 350 and 400, meaning it was “very bad,” according to the Central Pollution Control Commission.
On Sunday, the central government banned all private construction work in the city and surrounding areas. The authorities also sprayed water in some neighborhoods in an attempt to purify the air.
The government said last week that it would ban diesel rickshaws in the capital and from 2027 only allow three-wheeler taxis powered by compressed natural gas or electricity to operate.
SM