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New Delhi Plans Odd/Even Car Ban to Lower Air Pollution

New Delhi plans on Jan. 1 to begin limiting the use of locally registered cars to odd- or even-numbered days according to their license plate numbers.
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New Delhi plans on Jan. 1 to begin limiting the use of locally registered cars to odd- or even-numbered days according to their license plate numbers. The scheme is an effort to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion in what the World Health Organization considers the world’s most polluted city.

WHO ranks New Delhi the most polluted in terms of PM2.5, which are particulates that measure 2.5 microns or less in diameter. Because of their small size, such particles or droplets can penetrate deeply into the respiratory tract and aggravate such problems as asthma, bronchitis and heart disease.

WHO considers air unhealthy if it averages more than 15 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5. The agency says New Delhi’s air averages 10 times that concentration.

New Delhi is home to more than 2.6 million privately owned cars—virtually none equipped to meet Western emission levels. Last week India’s government proposed accelerating tougher pollution standards, but carmakers oppose the move, according to Bloomberg News.

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