Delhi Pollution

From vehicular pollution to construction dust, coordinated solutions exist. What's needed now is the will to act

The Delhi Legislative Assembly will re-convene on January 5, with the four-day session focussing on the pollution crisis in the national capital and scrutiny of three CAG reports, Minister Kapil Mishra said on Tuesday. The Art, Culture and Tourism minister said the government will table a proposal on pollution and table three CAG reports one each on corruption in 'Sheeshmahal,' the functioning of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), and Delhi government-run universities. The term 'Sheeshmahal' was coined by the BJP to point out the alleged opulence of the 6, Flagstaff Road residence of the ex-Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. "There is a very detailed report on the functioning of DJB till the year 2022, it has all the details of all the irregularities which caused the sewage system of the city to collapse," Mishra said at a press conference. "The CAG report on the irregularities in the functioning of universities governed by the Delhi government will be tabled, and all the corruption wh

Delhi experiences severe winter smog affecting visibility, travel, and daily life; IMD says conditions to remain same until January 1

With pollution levels surging in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday accused the BJP of not shutting down toll plazas. There was no immediate reaction from the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) or the party itself. AAP Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj pointed out that despite a Supreme Court ban on toll tax collection within Delhi, vehicles are still being stopped at toll plazas, leading to congestion, avoidable emissions and a steady deterioration of air quality across the city. "Hopeless Situation. Against the directions of Supreme Court, vehicles are being stopped for collecting toll tax at all tolls. These toll barriers around Delhi have become Hotspots for spreading pollution in Delhi. Why can't the BJP ruled MCD & Delhi Govt do their basic works instead of nautanki?" Bharadwaj wrote on X. Sharing a video from the Ghazipur toll plaza, Bharadwaj highlighted the on-ground reality through an AAP karyakarta who visited the site. In the video, the AAP ...

Delhi recorded an average AQI above 400 as very dense fog and smog reduced visibility, disrupted flights and trains, and prompted safety advisories across the capital

The Delhi government is exploring a potential collaboration with IIT Kanpur to leverage Artificial Intelligence to identify pollution sources at a granular level and assess their impact, officials said on Sunday. The environment department is all set to deliberate on the roadmap for collaboration, institutional mechanisms and phased implementation, an official statement said. Speaking on the initiative, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "We are moving towards a model where decisions are driven by real-time data, source identification and measurable outcomes, not reactive measures." The proposed collaboration aims to strengthen Delhi's ability to identify pollution sources at a granular level, assess their impact, and enable targeted, timely interventions across sectors. The emphasis is on building systems that can monitor, analyse, forecast and guide action on a continuous basis, he said. A key pillar of this approach is dynamic source apportionment, which wil

The drugmaker said Bafna will step down on December 31, 2025, after citing Delhi's pollution levels in his resignation letter

The national capital recorded air quality in the "very poor" category on Sunday with an overall Air Quality Index reading of 390, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The meteorological department has issued orange alert of very dense fog for Monday, with maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 22 and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively. According to data on the CPCB's Sameer App, 19 monitoring stations in Delhi reported air quality in the "severe" category with Anand Vihar recording highest AQI of 457, while the remaining recorded "very poor" levels. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe", according to CPCB standards. The city recorded a low of 6.3 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below the season's average, while the maximum temperature settled at 22.5 degrees Celsius, 2.1 notches above the seasonal average, the meteorological ...

Calm winds and dense fog trap pollutants as seven monitoring stations record 'severe' AQI and 24 of 39 in 'very poor' category

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Centre to file a detailed response to a petition seeking lowering of goods and services tax on air purifiers in view of worsening air quality in the national capital. A vacation bench of Justices Vikas Mahajan and Vinod Kumar granted 10 days' time to the central government to file its reply to the petition and listed the matter for further hearing on January 9. The court was informed by the Centre's counsel that the meeting of GST Council has to take place physically only and it is not possible to convene the meeting through video conferencing. Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, representing the Centre, sought time to file a detailed reply. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the central government to classify air purifiers as "medical devices" and reduce the goods and services tax (GST) to the five per cent slab. Air purifiers are currently taxed at 18 per cent. The petition by advoca

Even as GRAP 4 restrictions were lifted after a temporary improvement in air quality, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday urged residents to continue following pollution-control measures, warning that weather conditions may worsen again due to an approaching western disturbance. Addressing the media, Sirsa said weather conditions are likely to turn unfavourable, with increased chances of dense haze and fog, which could worsen pollution levels. "According to the weather department and past data, the impact of western disturbance will be visible in Delhi in the next couple of days. The weather will deteriorate again and there is a strong possibility of heavy haze," he said. The minister urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to follow pollution control measures despite the relaxation of restrictions. He appealed to the people not to take out vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control Certificates and to avoid unnecessary travel. "Even though the 50

Delhi's air quality deteriorated a day after Christmas, with 24 out of 39 monitoring stations reporting very poor AQI as fog returned to the national capital

On December 25, the AQI improved to 220, helped by strong winds, though forecasts warn of possible deterioration ahead

The CAQM, however, cautioned that winter weather conditions may not remain favourable, with forecasts indicating a possible rise in AQI levels due to slower wind speeds in the coming days

Amid hazardous air quality in Delhi, Nitin Gadkari acknowledges the transport sector's 40% contribution to pollution, saying he develops infections after short stays in the capital

The Delhi High Court criticised the Centre over its failure to tackle the city's air pollution and asked it to consider cutting the 18 per cent GST on air purifiers to provide relief to citizens

According to Delhi L-G VK Saxena, the 10-month-old BJP government is 'trying to do everything possible' to undo the 'wrongs' of the previous AAP government

More than 2.12 lakh new PUC certificates were issued following the strict implementation of GRAP-IV measures over the past four days, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Monday. The minister also warned of stringent action against polluting industries and private offices flouting work-from-home directives. Speaking at a press conference, Sirsa noted that weather conditions are expected to improve by Tuesday as the impact of a western disturbance recedes. He said 2,12,332 new Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates were issued by late night on December 16. During the same period, approximately 10,000 vehicles failed the mandatory emission tests. Sirsa announced an intensified enforcement drive across the capital, saying polluting factories and industries will now be sealed without further notice. "Action will also be taken against industries that have not applied for the mandatory Online Consent Management (OCM)," he added. The minister warned private compan

Bhupendra Yadav said that air quality has shown improvement on several days, but adverse meteorological conditions during December continue to pose challenges

Dense fog and a cold wave worsen Delhi's already severe air quality, with AQI crossing 400 in several areas; limited visibility disrupts flights