News / India

Indian court bans new diesel vehicles in capital

Wednesday, 16 December 2015 8:27 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 16 December 2015 8:27 AM ]

In this November 16, 2015 photo, a cargo truck makes its way down an avenue near midnight in the Indian capital, New Delhi (Photo by AFP)

India’s Supreme Court has temporarily banned the registration of diesel cars with engines over 2,000 cc in New Delhi in an attempt to have the Indian capital’s notorious smog reduced.

The ruling, which applies until March-end, was issued by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur on Wednesday. It also affects diesel trucks older than 10 years.

The judge also ordered that diesel taxis moving about the city be made capable of running on compressed natural gas (CNG).

“The highest court... is absolutely clear that there can be no compromise when it comes to the health of the people,” said Sunita Narain, the head of the Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment, adding, “I think this is a turning point today in Delhi’s history of fighting air pollution and I hope we will do more.”

Smog levels are always high in New Delhi during November and December because of the falling temperatures and the seasonal burning of paddy fields.

Indian pedestrians walk near smog-enveloped government offices in the Indian capital, New Delhi, December 1, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

About 620,000 people die each year in India due to air pollution, according to a World Health Organization report last year. The same report found that New Delhi was the most polluted city in the world and that 13 of the most polluted 20 cities in the world were in India.

More than 23 percent of the cars on the roads in New Delhi run on diesel. City authorities, meanwhile, refuse to issue due public health warnings, a common practice in many other polluted cities across the world, like Beijing.

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