In order to control the heavy air pollution, the government of New Delhi has imposed driving bans. Private cars are only allowed to drive on alternate days, depending on whether they have number plates with even and odd number combinations. Schools remain closed, construction sites have been shut down.
The measured values of the particulate matter PM 2.5, a fixed particle size, have reached 900 micrograms per cubic meter of air in New Delhi in recent days. By comparison, Germany has an average limit of 20 micrograms. If it exceeds 50 micrograms driving bans are imposed in some major cities.
Every winter, over 20 million people smog, caused by vehicle and industrial fumes and farmers burning fields harvested near the capital.
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"There is smoke everywhere, and people - young, children and the elderly - can barely breathe," says Arvind Kejriwal, head of government of the Delhi Capital Region. The air pollution was so bad that many people even complained of burning eyes.
Kejriwal's government therefore initiated driving bans, which affect half of the cars in the metropolis every day. For the time being they should be valid for two weeks. Schools have not been taught since Friday, with authorities distributing five million respirators to schoolchildren. Construction sites were initially closed until Tuesday.
Other parts of the country are affected by the dense smog. To protect the famous mausoleum Taj Mahal, the authorities brought an air purifier to India's most important tourist landmark , which is about 250 kilometers south of the capital. The authorities fear that the partially poisonous air could damage the 17th century marble construction.
Environmentalists called on India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "take leadership" and finally tackle the problem. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 14 cities in India are among the 15 most polluted cities in the world. According to experts, particulate matter in India's cities causes more than one million premature deaths each year.
The largest car manufacturer in the country has already responded. Maruti-Suzuki, with a market share of 51 percent, wants to forego the diesel in the future. Currently, about every fourth Maruti sold in India is a diesel.
However, a political solution to the smog problem has so far failed due to disagreements between parties and state governments.
