The Delhi authorities announced that in a bid to tackle the world's worst pollution, odd and even number vehicles will ply on alternate days in the capital from January 1. India's Parliament House complex in New Delhi is shrouded by smog./ Photographed by Ha Man-joo

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By Ha Man-joo, India correspondent, AsiaToday - The Delhi government decided to take a controversial odd-even-number car scheme starting from the New Year, aimed at curbing the world's worst pollution that has been troubling the city.

According to Aqicn.org, an easily readable air quality monitoring site, the air quality in Delhi on December 7 was measured at 414 in maximum, which was twice polluted than Beijing.

According to an emergency survey reported by Times of India (TOI) on December 5, over 58% of the respondents said that they agreed with the Delhi government's decision. However, among the opinions in favor, 65% of the respondents said the decision wasn't made after a long period of consideration.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "The government would discontinue the move after 10 to 15 days if people face problems."

The Delhi government announced on December 6 that the days when a private car would be allowed on the streets would depend on whether its license plate ended in an even or odd number.

Experts said the odd-even formula may have a temporary effect, but it won't solve be a fundamental solution to curb the pollution.