India's supreme court has imposed a temporary ban on the sale of large diesel vehicles in New Delhi and announced various other measures in a desperate attempt to clean up the air in the world's most polluted city.
The court barred diesel trucks older than 10 years from entering the gridlocked capital, and banned the burning of rubbish because the toxic atmosphere reduced visibility and made breathing difficult.
Delhi’s air routinely worsens in the winter months, as millions of poor people light fires for warmth and cloud cover traps pollutants.
“There cannot be anything more fundamental than the right to clean air,” said India’s leading environmentalist, Sunita Narain. The court had recognised that pollution is a public health emergency, she added.
The judges also barred the registration of new diesel luxury cars and SUVs with engine capacities over 2000cc, between January 1st and the end of March 2016.
“Rich people can’t go around in SUVs to pollute the environment,” the judges said.
Diesel vehicles
Environmentalists such as Ms Narain have identified diesel vehicles as Delhi’s worst polluters. The majority of owners in Delhi and across
India
prefer diesel-powered vehicles, as the fuel is subsidised due to its extensive use in the agricultural and transportation sector.
Vehicle sales are also soaring in an economically resurgent India, with 1,400 new cars, mostly run on diesel, added daily to Delhi’s streets.
The court doubled the tax on all commercial trucks from entering Delhi, and said it would even consider an environment congestion charge.
It directed all taxis operating in Delhi and neighbouring provinces to convert to the less polluting compressed natural gas, or CNG, by March 31st.
As pollution levels in Delhi reached alarming proportions over the past few weeks, the Delhi high court, adopting an activist stance, likened the capital to a “gas chamber”.
The World Health Organisation has designated Delhi as the world's most polluted city, more so than Beijing, with particulate matter 2.5 levels in the atmosphere more than 10 times the recommended safety limit.
These fine particles are linked with increased rates of chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease.
Air pollution is responsible for more than 600,000 deaths each year across India, with Delhi topping that list. Thirteen of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India.
