Indian Capital Banishes Some Cars in Bid to Curb Hazardous Air Pollution

A policewoman wears a mask to protect herself from air pollution at a junction during restrictions on private vehicles based on registration plates on a smoggy morning in New Delhi, India, on Nov 4, 2019. Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

NEW DELHI—Authorities in India’s capital New Delhi banished from the roads cars with number plates ending in an odd number on Monday in a bid to cut hazardous air pollution shrouding the city.

With toxic smog blanketing the streets, the U.S. Embassy air quality index, which measures the concentration of tiny PM 2.5 particles that can be carried deep into the lungs, exceeded 500 during the day, far above the recommended “safe” limit of 60.