NEW DELHI — New Delhi’s half-marathon race used ultra high frequency (UHF) radio waves to clear the air for the runners on Sunday, an experimental technique the organizers hope could improve the city’s notorious air quality. India is home to the world’s 14 most polluted cities. Last year the smoke from burning crop waste and thousands of firecrackers contributed to a toxic smog that blanketed the capital of New Delhi and a large part of northern India in toxic smog. The city’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal warned New Delhi would face the same fate this year if Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party did not do more to combat pollution.

— Reuters

After medical experts urged the cancelling of last year’s race, marathon organizers responded by bringing the race date forward to October, away from November’s Diwali festival when the firecrackers are set off.

They also tried to dampen down the dust that hangs over the city in winter, including reagents from the mining industry to treat roads, dropping water vapour along the course from a height of 20 feet.

The techniques also included using the UHF waves to dispel pollution from particulate matter measuring only 2.5 microns, known as PM2.5, whose small size - about 30 times smaller than a human hair - allows it to lodge deep in the lungs, damaging the respiratory system.

«It was a great day with clear skies and no pollution-related incidents among our 35,000 runners,» Vivek Singh, a managing director of race promoter Procam International said. — Reuters