In Pictures: Delhi Still Chokes On Smog Despite Banning Half Its Cars 

In Pictures: Delhi Still Chokes On Smog Despite Banning Half Its Cars 

On January 1, Delhi enacted a two-week pilot project allowing private cars on the roads only on alternate days in order to reduce pollution. As the experiment comes to a close, the city is still choking on smog.

The scheme saw the city allow private cars to use the roads based on the last digit of their licence plate: Odd numbers were allowed one day, even on the next. Despite what authorities called an “encouraging start”, the city is still blanketed in smog, as you can see in these images.

In Pictures: Delhi Still Chokes On Smog Despite Banning Half Its Cars 

In Pictures: Delhi Still Chokes On Smog Despite Banning Half Its Cars 

As our own Alissa Walker explained when the trial began, part of the problem was policing the ban:

There are… plenty of exemptions: women, politicians, judges, police, prison officials and anyone who can prove they’re sick. Plus motorbikes, which can be the dirtiest form of transportation, are not included in the restrictions. Auto rickshaws are also still allowed.

In Pictures: Delhi Still Chokes On Smog Despite Banning Half Its Cars 

In Pictures: Delhi Still Chokes On Smog Despite Banning Half Its Cars 

Of course, even if it had worked, the initiative was never going to be a long-term fix: Schools were closed until January 15 so that their buses could be repurposed as public transport.

Larger and and more sustainable changes will required if Delhi’s to clean up its air for good.

In Pictures: Delhi Still Chokes On Smog Despite Banning Half Its Cars 

All images by AP


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.