WebinarsNew
Deep DiveNew
Explore Business Standard
Delhi Air Quality
Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 191 on Saturday, the lowest for October 24 in a decade, excluding the Covid period, the Delhi government said, attributing the improvement to sustained pollution control measures. According to a statement issued by the Environment Department, the AQI stood at 306 on October 24 in 2024 and 275 on the corresponding date in 2025, before declining to 191 this year. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the improvement reflected the government's efforts to tackle pollution through enforcement, monitoring and public participation. An AQI of 191 falls in the 'moderate' category. The government said nearly 9,883 vehicle challans were issued in the last 24 hours as part of its anti-pollution drive. During the same period, 2,810 km of roads were mechanically swept and 1,075 km covered through water sprinkling to control dust. Authorities also removed 12,702 metric tonnes of waste, lifted 2,223 metric tonnes of construction and demolitio
The Delhi government will launch an enforcement drive against vehicles with invalid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates from October 1, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday. Gupta, who inaugurated an Automated Testing Station (ATS) in Burari, said the government was taking several steps to reduce air pollution in the national capital. "We want to ensure that every person in Delhi gets clean air to breathe. This enforcement will be done to check whether the Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates are valid. Delhi government is working round the year to reduce air pollution; this is one step towards that," she said. The chief minister said the system of PUC centres in Delhi would also be made more effective and reliable. "The enforcement system related to valid Pollution Under Control certificates will be implemented in Delhi from October 1. At the same time, work will also be undertaken to strengthen the monitoring and functioning of PUC centres through technology,"
From rain-soaked days to warm nights, August has unfolded differently for Delhi this year: Rainfall has already crossed the seasonal average, day and night-time temperatures remain high, and the month's average air quality index has reached a three-year high. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi has received 653.9 mm of rainfall at Safdarjung since the beginning of the monsoon season, compared with the long-period average of 506.7 mm, resulting in a surplus of 147.2 mm, or 29 per cent. The capital also recorded its wettest first week of August in 15 years, receiving 127 mm of rainfall during the first seven days of the month, the highest for the period since 2011. The month witnessed one of its heaviest single-day rainfall spells on August 25, when Safdarjung recorded 99.1 mm of rain in 24 hours, the highest rainfall for an August day in two years, the IMD said. The last time Safdarjung recorded more rainfall in August was on August 1, 2024, when the station
Construction activities will be completely banned in Delhi from December 10 to January 20 as part of the government's measures to curb air pollution during the winter season, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday. In a post on X, Gupta urged citizens to report violations, saying construction sites measuring above 500 square metres would be monitored through the Delhi government's Dust Portal and AI-enabled cameras. "Construction will be completely banned from 10 December to 20 January. If you spot any violation, inform MCD, your MLA, or me directly," she said. Gupta said that during the previous winter, construction activities had continued at some sites despite the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), with work being carried out behind covers. "Last time, even under GRAP, some construction continued behind covers," she said. This year, such sites will be monitored in real time through the Dust Portal and AI-enabled cameras, with alerts being sent to the .