Delhi will pay construction workers 5,000 rupees ($60) as one-time compensation after the government suspended most construction and demolition work to deal with air pollution in the Indian capital, the chief minister said on Wednesday. City officials have also called on Delhi’s 20 million residents to carpool, work from home if possible, and reduce the use of coal or firewood at home.
The world’s most polluted capital is shrouded in smog every winter as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from burning crop residues in the neighboring states of Haryana and Punjab ahead of the new crop season. “Construction activities have been stopped in Delhi due to pollution,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Twitter, adding that he had asked his labor minister to disburse the funds.
The government has not said when the construction restrictions, which came into force on Monday, will end. Public works such as hospitals, roads and airports are exempt. Pollution in Delhi was in the “very bad” category early Wednesday, better than Tuesday’s “severe” reading, according to data from the federal Department of Earth Sciences. Very poor air can lead to respiratory illnesses with long-term exposure, while strong air affects healthy people and seriously affects those with other illnesses, the government says.
