Delhi pollution curbs bring work-from-home orders

New Delhi authorities stepped up anti-pollution measures on Sunday, ordering work-from-home arrangements and higher parking fees as the Indian capital entered its winter smog season.

The restrictions that came into force Sunday include doubling vehicle parking charges and work-from-home arrangements for government and private-sector offices, aimed at reducing traffic emissions.

Authorities will also bar vehicles that do not comply with mandated emission standards from entering the capital. A ban on all dust-generating demolition and outdoor construction activity takes effect immediately.

“From November 1... Delhi's Winter Action Plan comes into effect with stricter pollution controls, stronger enforcement and 24×7 monitoring,” Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's office said in a statement.

Delhi's government has already introduced other pollution-control measures over the past month, including a ban on rubbish burning and restrictions on food stalls using coal or firewood.

The city is regularly engulfed by smog from November to January, when cooler temperatures trap pollutants close to the ground. Major sources include vehicle emissions, coal-fired power plants, industrial activity, construction dust and the burning of crop residue in neighbouring states.

India's environment ministry says vehicles account for 23 percent of Delhi's winter pollution, while biomass burning, including farm stubble fires, contributes 20 percent. Industry, including coal-fired power plants, contributes about nine percent.

On Sunday, monitors recorded PM2.5 at 201 micrograms per cubic metre, more than 13 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily limit. During peak winter months, PM2.5 levels frequently exceed 300 micrograms per cubic metre, and last year pollution levels peaked at 846 micrograms per cubic metre.

A 2024 study published in The Lancet Planetary Health estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution.