Transportation
Can the Affluent Be Convinced to Ride Transit in Delhi?
Despite severe air pollution, higher-income residents of Delhi prefer to drive or hail cars rather than ride the metro. What will change their minds?
Every winter when New Delhi’s air quality reaches hazardous levels, much of the conversation about it tends to focus on two causes—the practice of crop burning by farmers in nearby states, and the bursting of firecrackers during the Hindu festival Diwali.
There’s no doubt that these are both major contributors to the Indian capital’s toxic winter air. But putting these events in the spotlight can be frustrating for those who study pollution and wish there was greater public scrutiny of the issue year-round.