Tens Of Thousands Of Vehicle Owners And Construction Locations In India Fined Due To Pollution

Illustration of air pollution in India. (Wikimedia Commons/Prami.ap90)

JAKARTA - Indian capital authorities and surrounding areas have imposed fines on owners of thousands of vehicles and construction sites for violating pollution regulations, in an effort to address the decline in air quality over the past three weeks.

New Delhi is the world's most polluted major city, according to Swiss company IQAir's live ranking which monitors air quality.

Nearly 60,000 vehicles and more than 7,500 construction sites were fined, officials said, while the Central Pollution Control Agency (CPCB) considered Monday's conditions to be'very bad', with a score of 373 on its index assessing the level from zero to 50 as 'good'.

A total of 54,000 vehicles do not have controlled pollution certificates (PUCs), which show allowed emission levels, the Air Quality Management Commission said, adding that nearly 3.900 other vehicles were seized for being 'too old'.

Environmental compensation payments have been ordered for 597 locations, while 56 locations have been ordered to close.

New Delhi struggles with severe pollution every winter, as the cold air traps emissions, dust and smoke from agricultural fires in neighboring agricultural states oftens and Haryana, forcing school closures and construction restrictions in response.

Air quality in the region is expected to remain'very bad' until Wednesday, the earth's science ministry said and is likely to range from'very bad' to'severe' over the next six days.

CPCB says the rankings are severe, in the ranges of 401 and 500 on its index, affecting healthy people and can have a serious effect on those who are already suffering from the disease.

IQAir has rated New Delhi as the world's most polluted capital for four consecutive years. However, poor air quality is a common winter problem throughout South Asia.

The increase in pollution could cut South Asians' life expectancy by more than five years, according to the University of Chicago Institute of Energy Policy (EPIC) in the Air Quality Index last year.

Pakistan's second-largest city, Lahore, which IQAir views as the world's second most polluted city on Monday, has also closed primary schools for a week and urged people to stay indoors amid unprecedented pollution.

On Sunday, the provincial government said it was planning talks with India to resolve the issue, blaming worsening air quality on pollution originating from neighboring countries.