India's capital and its surrounding region began two weeks of restrictions on Monday, aimed at lowering severe levels of toxic air pollution.

A car rationing system allows private vehicles to use city roads on alternate days, depending on whether registration plates end with odd or even numbers.

Read more: Cities across world pledge air pollution changes, but are they ready?

According to authorities some 1.2 million registered vehicles in Delhi will be off-road every day during the two-week limitation.

Officials have already declared a public health emergency and ordered schools to stay closed.

Delhi is among the most polluted cities in the world, particularly in winter with chronic levels of hazardous air from October through February.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog Dangerous haze Pollution levels in New Delhi have reached a three-year high. On Monday, the state air quality index for the city of 20 million people was at 436 — about nine times the recommended maximum.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog Through the smog Dense smog hung over central Delhi, where many pedestrians and bikers were seen wearing face masks. Authorities have declared a public health emergency, warning of a spike in locals suffering breathing difficulties, burning eyes and scratchy throats.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog Toxic cloud Delhi's India Gate, one of the capital's national monuments, was shrouded in a toxic cloud. The pollution prompted India's Supreme Court to order construction work across the city be halted until Tuesday. Authorities have also temporarily closed schools and handed out millions of pollution masks.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog 'Gas chamber' Delhi's chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, who has compared his city to a "gas chamber," said in a video posted to Twitter that "there is smoke everywhere and people, including youngsters, kids, elderly are finding it difficult to breathe."

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog Leave the car at home In an effort to tackle the smog, Delhi authorities banned half the capital's private cars from the roads. Under the regulation, vehicles must stay at home on alternate days, depending on whether their number plates end in an odd or even number. Motorbikes, scooters and public transport are are exempt from the "odd-even" scheme.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog 'Obey odd and even' These traffic volunteers hold a sign urging motorists to "obey odd and even" and "remove pollution." More than 600 police teams and volunteers were deployed at intersections to hand out fines of nearly 4,000 rupees ($60; €54) to anyone breaking the new rules.

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog No smog solution Experts warn the car restrictions won't be enough to tackle the problem. "If air pollution was solely due to the vehicular traffic, then this would be a solution," climate policy analyst Siddharth Singh told Agence France-Presse. "Right now it cannot be a solution because motorized private transport has a very small share in the whole pie."

New Delhi chokes under blanket of smog Pollution hotspot Not everyone has heeded warnings from authorities to stay indoors. Delhi locals are no strangers to high levels of pollution, and many simply went about their lives as as usual. India has 10 of the world's most polluted cities, according to the World Health Organization. Author: Natalie Muller



Delhi's state-run Central Pollution Control Board's air quality index for New Delhi was "severe" at 436 — some nine times the recommended maximum.

Flights to and from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed or rerouted on Sunday as heavy air pollution enveloped the city.

In the nearby city of Agra, authorities deployed a van with air purification equipment close to the Taj Mahal, in a bid to improve air quality at the tourist site.

Read more: India's youth want cleaner air, better infrastructure

Watch video 01:30 Share Delhi hit by year’s worst smog Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3SOs3 Indian capital Delhi suffers year’s worst smog

Major carriers such as Air India and Vistara were forced to divert flights to airports as far away as Mumbai and Amritsar on Sunday.

Air pollution sensors in some parts of Delhi were reported to have maxed out at their upper limit of 999 micrograms, with people advised to stay indoors and wear masks.

Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the situation had become "unbearable."

rc/rt (dpa, AP)

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