Delhi Needs More Than The Odd-Even Rule

According to IndiaSpend, a data journalism initiative, Delhi's air pollution levels between April 15 and 30 this year rose 23 per cent over those in the period between April 1 and 14. While it is not clear why this happened, it certainly is a proof that the Odd-Even road space-rationing rule, which was in effect from April 15 to 30, did not achieve the target it was expected to.

This also shows that the national capital needs more long-term measures to curb road pollution and lower road congestion. A look at data would show the city's Delhi Metro network may go a long way in achieving this.

The Metro network, for example, reduces the pollutants in the city significantly. According to data, the Delhi Metro reduces pollutants in the city by about 6,30,000 tonnes every year. The Metro, which may become the seventh-largest mass-transit network in the world by 2016, is also the first such network in the world to get a United Nations certification for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.