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Air Pollution
The government is encouraging mechanised sweeping and planting of bushes to control dust in cities, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. Responding to a supplementary during Question Hour, Union Environment minister Bhupender Yadav said to control dust pollution, a city-specific plan is prepared. Under the plan, "greening" is carried out based on the requirement of a particular city. He said bushes help control spread of dust. The way roads are being constructed at present, states are being encouraged to go for mechanised sweeping. "In NCR too, (municipal) corporations were encouraged for mechanised sweeping to control dust," he said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said pollution is no longer just an environmental issue but a national health emergency, and asserted that Parliament must discuss it as well as the government must act. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also said that the Union Budget must put real resources behind real solutions. Gandhi said over the last few days, he has read thousands of messages from Indians about what pollution is doing to their lives. "What stood out was fear - fear for children, for parents, for tomorrow - felt by families in cities across India," Gandhi said in a Facebook post. "Pollution is no longer just an environmental issue, it is a national health emergency. Parliament must discuss it. The government must act. And this Budget must put real resources behind real solutions. Indians are not asking for reports or rhetoric. They are asking for clean air," he said. Gandhi last week had said that people are paying a heavy price for air pollution with their hea
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday orally observed that the impact of air pollution on the economy needed to be examined and just uttering "harsh words will not yield any results". During a hearing on the issue of air pollution, amicus curiae (friend of court) Darius Khambata cited former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief economist Gita Gopinath's recent comments in Davos that "pollution is a major economic threat to India than trade-related challenges". In 2023, the court had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of increasing air pollution and passed a slew of directions to civic bodies and other authorities to take steps to deal with the problem. During the previous hearing on January 23, a bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar had slammed civic authorities for their "belligerent disregard" of its orders to mitigate air pollution and warned of halting salaries of top municipal officials. When the matter was called on Tuesday, Amicus Darius Khambata, during his ...
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that people are paying a heavy price for air pollution with their health and the country's economy, and that children and the elderly are bearing the brunt the most. In a post on his X account, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha urged people to speak up against air pollution. He also asked them to write to him, sharing their views on how it has affected crores of Indians. "We are paying a heavy price for air pollution -- with our health and with our economy. Crores of ordinary Indians bear this burden every day," Gandhi wrote. "Children and the elderly suffer the most. Livelihoods, especially of construction workers and daily wage earners, are severely impacted," he wrote. Noting that the crisis cannot be forgotten until next winter, the former Congress president said, "The first step towards change is to raise our voices." He further asked people to share the story of "how air pollution has affected you or your loved ones" at ...
After nearly three-and-a-half months -- 103 days to be exact -- Delhi's air quality on Saturday returned to the 'moderate' category, with the average AQI recorded at 192, as rainfall brought some respite from the prolonged spell of hazardous air. According to an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the last time the capital recorded 'moderate' air quality was on October 13, 2025, when the Air Quality index (AQI) stood at 189. Between October 1 and October 13, Delhi witnessed nine days of 'moderate' air quality, before pollution levels deteriorated sharply. CREA's analysis showed that October 14, 2025, onwards, hazardous air pollution levels were recorded in the city, with 26 days of 'poor' AQI, 66 days of 'very poor' AQI, and 10 days of 'severe' readings. "Even Saturday's improvement to the 'moderate' range offers limited relief, as this category is known to cause breathing discomfort for people with lung disorders, asthma and heart disease," the ...
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre, the Delhi government and other stakeholders to submit within four weeks their action plan on the central pollution watchdog's recommendations for long-term measures to improve the worsening Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took note of a status report filed by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). "The CAQM has recommended 15 long-term measures. CAQM has also identified the concerned agencies who are the competent ones to give effect to these long-term measures." "While in addition to the aforesaid measures by the CAQM, there might be some additional long-term measures required to be adopted. There can be no doubt that these long-term measures recommended by CAQM are required to be given effect with no delay. We therefore call upon the ...