India taking action against record air pollution

The Supreme Court in India has launched a new initiative to address record levels of air pollution in the capital, New Delhi.

The court has introduced a temporary ban on large diesel vehicles being sold and trucks more than ten years old from entering the city.

Emissions from diesel vehicles and construction, and crop stubble being burned in farms around the city are causing hazardous levels of air pollution in the capital.

India has 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report last year, and air pollution causes about 600,000 premature deaths in India every year.

The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that new diesel sports utility vehicles and luxury cars with engine capacity of more than 2000cc cannot be registered in New Delhi between 1 January and 31 March next year.

The ruling also means that environment tax will be doubled on all commercial trucks entering India’s capital, and said it would consider an environment congestion charge on all diesel vehicles when it meets again in the New Year.

Taxis in New Delhi as well as in neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan will also have to convert to natural gas by 31 March as part of the court’s ruling.

Commercial trucks account for about half of India's vehicle emissions and the Delhi high court said that the city resembled a "gas chamber".

The Delhi government also announced that private vehicles with odd and even registration numbers will only be allowed to operate on alternate days from 1 January 2016.