Air Pollution

'CAQM failing in duty': SC slams pollution watchdog, seeks report on causes

The Supreme Court directed CAQM to convene a meeting of experts in two weeks and submit a report on major causes of the worsening pollution in the national capital

Delhi AQI slips back to 'poor' as dense fog disrupts flights and travel

Delhi-NCR records 'poor' air quality as AQI rises to 292, with dense fog affecting visibility and causing flight delays, travel disruptions

Jitendra Singh inaugurates lab to certify air pollution monitoring tools

Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday inaugurated a laboratory to test and calibrate equipment to monitor air pollution, one of the very few such facilities in the world. Singh inaugurated the National Environmental Standard Laboratory at the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) premises here, and described it as a critical step towards strengthening India's environmental governance framework. Singh said the facility will reduce India's dependence on foreign certification agencies, save foreign exchange, shorten turnaround time for calibration, and enhance investor confidence in the country's rapidly expanding solar sector. The minister also inaugurated the National Primary Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration (Solar Energy Complex), terming it a "future-ready facility" that places India among a select group of global leaders in photovoltaic measurement standards. Addressing the 80th Foundation Day celebrations of Centre for Scientific and ...

Delhi air quality improves slightly, AQI returns to 'poor' category

Delhi saw a marginal respite in air quality on Monday as the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) improved to 244, in the poor' category, after lingering in the very poor' range a day earlier. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer app showed that four stations recorded very poor' air quality, with Chandni Chowk logging the worst AQI at 321, while 25 stations remained in the poor' category and nine recorded moderate' air quality. According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between zero 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'. The Decision Support System indicated that Delhi's pollution load was led by transport at 13.7 per cent, followed by peripheral industries at 11.4 per cent, residential sources at 3.3 per cent, construction at 1.2 per cent and waste burning at one per cent. Among NCR districts, Jhajjar contributed the highest at 19.6 per cent, followed by Sonip

Delhi's toxic winter air may be carrying drug-resistant superbugs: Study

Researchers at JNU warn that Delhi's winter smog could be harbouring drug-resistant bacteria, compounding health risks already posed by some of the world's worst air pollution

AAP holds protest in Delhi Assembly premises over rising air pollution

The protest highlighted concerns over public health, particularly for children, the elderly, and people with respiratory issues, as Delhi continues to struggle with hazardous air quality

Delhi AQI eases to 'poor', yet smog continues to disrupt flights, travel

Delhi's air auality index eased to 260 on Monday, but fog and trapped pollutants kept much of Delhi in the 'poor' and 'very poor' category

65% of Delhi's air pollution in 2025 originated from outside the city: CREA

As much as 65 per cent of Delhi's air pollution in 2025 originated from outside the city, mainly from other NCR districts, while local sources accounted for the remaining 35 per cent, a study said. According to an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), accessed by PTI, winter-period inputs from the Decision Support System indicated that pollution transported into the national capital outweighed emissions generated within the city during 2025. Winter-period source attribution figures showed that vehicular emissions accounted for nearly half of Delhi's local PM2.5 pollution, surpassing contributions from industry, construction and other combustion sources, even as transboundary pollution remained the dominant overall contributor. "Transboundary pollution from NCR districts and neighbouring states plays a major role in Delhi's air pollution. Delhi's geographical location also makes it vulnerable, as northerly and north-westerly winds carry polluted air from

Delhi AQI today: Air quality improves to 'poor'; Grap III curbs lifted

Air quality in Delhi improved slightly with AQI improving to 'poor' and prompting CAQM to ease some curbs. However, fog and low visibility are expected to cause some travel disruptions

Grap III restrictions lifted in Delhi-NCR as AQI level falls to 236

CAQM revokes Grap III curbs across Delhi-NCR after AQI improves to 'poor' levels, aided by strong winds. However, restrictions under Grap I and II will continue to remain in force across NCR

Delhi air quality improves to 'very poor'; many flights delayed due to fog

Second day of new year sees minor improvement in Delhi's air quality, but fog and pollution persist across most stations; AQI at 311

Delhi rings in New Year with 'very poor' air; IMD issues rain alert

Average AQI stood at 372 on January 1, with eight stations in the severe category and low visibility disrupting travel across the capital as the IMD issued a rain alert

Why India doesn't move against CO2's close cousin as methane tracking lags

India is the world's third-largest emitter of methane but lacks clear policy direction and mechanisms to track and mitigate the gas, which is far more potent than carbon dioxide in global warming

Fixing India's air is achievable, but only with coordinated action

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

Delhi Assembly to reconvene on Jan 5; air pollution, CAG reports in focus

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 air quality stays 'severe' in most parts amid red alert for dense fog

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

Dense fog likely from 8 pm in Delhi-NCR; IMD issues cold day warning

The forecast comes after the national capital woke up to dense fog and smog on Monday morning, which disrupted air traffic, slowed vehicular movement and pushed air quality into the 'severe' category

Delhi AQI update: Air quality worsens to 'severe'; smog disrupts visibility

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

Delhi exploring tie-up with IIT Kanpur to find pollution sources: Sirsa

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

Delhi govt makes 2 restrictions under Grap-4 permanent to tackle pollution

Sirsa also referred to weather conditions, saying that authorities are closely monitoring developments due to the possibility of adverse weather