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Deli Air Pollution
Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in India, has used less than one-third of the funds it received under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), according to government records. Launched in 2019, the NCAP is India's first national plan to set clean air targets. It aims to reduce PM10 pollution by 40 per cent in 130 highly polluted cities by 2026, using 2019-20 as the base year. Environment ministry data showed that Delhi spent just Rs 13.94 crore, 32.65 per cent of the Rs 42.69 crore released to it under the NCAP. A total of 14 cities and urban agglomerations have spent less than 50 per cent of the funds they received under the programme, either directly from the environment ministry or through the 15th Finance Commission. Noida in Uttar Pradesh, another major pollution hotspot in the National Capital Region, has spent only Rs 3.44 crore of the Rs 30.89 crore given to it for air pollution control. Faridabad in Haryana spent Rs 28.60 crore of the Rs 107.14 crore it ...
Highlighting the alarming deterioration in Delhi's air quality, a body representing the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) officers on Monday demanded work-from-home, staggered working hours and air purifiers in all office buildings to mitigate the health impact of the severe pollution levels. In a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the association said that poor air quality has also had a noticeable effect on workplace productivity with employees experiencing symptoms such as respiratory issues, eye irritation, fatigue and general discomfort. "It has become imperative to take urgent measures to ensure the well-being of all, particularly those engaged in government services," said the letter by the CSS Forum. It said continuous exposure to hazardous air quality is leading to a surge in respiratory ailments and other health issues among employees and their families. "The discomfort caused by poor air quality is affecting the efficiency and out
The BJP has put the pollution issue at the centre stage of its campaign strategy for the Delhi Assembly polls scheduled to be held in February next year, according to party leaders. Along with this, corruption, bad condition of roads, water supply and poor infrastructure are among the issues with which the opposition party plans to target the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the elections, the BJP's Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva said. Pollution is one of the main poll planks of the party, he said. The city's air quality has been worsening as it edged closer to the severe zone in some areas on Tuesday. The Delhi BJP has been mounting relentless attacks on the AAP over the issue of hazardous air as well as toxic froth witnessed on the Yamuna river. "Not just air pollution, the AAP government's failure to clean the heavily polluted Yamuna in Delhi is another issue that touches every Delhiite. People are falling ill due to worsening air quality. We cannot let the AAP government go
P K Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister, on Friday, expressed concern over the slow progress in clearing landfill sites and delays in implementing waste-to-energy projects in the national capital. Chairing a meeting of the High-Level Task Force to address Delhi's air pollution, Mishra called for stronger enforcement of dust control at construction sites and better waste management. He directed the agencies to prevent the open burning of waste and to promote greening and paving of road areas to reduce dust. According to a statement, Mishra reviewed the preparedness of the Delhi government and other stakeholders to carry out both short and long-term measures to reduce air pollution in the city. Senior officials from central ministries and the Delhi administration discussed current strategies and explored new ways to address the pollution problem, it said. The chief secretary of Delhi said construction dust, biomass burning, and vehicle emissions were the major pollutio
Delhi-NCR recorded the longest spell of 'very poor' or worse air quality and the maximum number of smog episodes in November and December 2023 in the last six years, according to a new analysis. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), an independent think-tank that analysed pollution data for Delhi-NCR, said the gradual long-term improvement in annual PM2.5 levels since 2015-17 halted in 2023. This occurred despite cleaner-than-usual summer and monsoon seasons and significantly reduced intrusion of smoke from farm fires in northern states. However, this winter witnessed unusually low surface wind speeds, trapping high levels of local pollution. Due to the impact of unusual winter levels, the overall annual levels have plateaued and worsened, reversing the gains of the long-term downward trend, the CSE said. Despite a decrease in stubble burning contributing to Delhi's pollution this year, coupled with increased rainfall in November and milder winter conditions, the annual lev
Polluted air is not restricted by borders, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday and claimed that people in his state as well as in Delhi were suffering with Punjab reporting several cases of crop-residue burning. He, however, stressed there should not be politics over the issue and that it is the collective responsibility of everyone to keep the environment clean. The air quality in Delhi and its adjoining areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) worsened on Wednesday morning, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounting for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital. "There should be no politics. Unfortunately, a few people are doing politics over it, but they are not getting any benefit...," the chief minister said when asked by reporters in Pinjore on a Supreme Court bench on Tuesday taking a stern view of states trying to shift the blame on one another, and observing there cannot be a "political battle"
Air quality in Delhi and its suburbs dropped to the severe category again on Wednesday morning, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounting for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 421, worsening from 395 at 4 pm on Tuesday. Despite a marginal dip, the concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times in the capital. It was 30 to 40 times the healthy limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Several cities across the Indo-Gangetic plains reported hazardous air quality. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (382), Gurugram (370), Noida (348), Greater Noida (474), and Faridabad (396) also reported hazardous air quality. According to data from the Decision Support System,