Page 5 - Air Pollution In India

Gurugram DC orders strict implementation of GRAP IV as air quality worsens

Gurugram DC Ajay Kumar has ordered officials to strictly implement the restrictions of GRAP 4 due to increasing air pollution. As per the order, many restrictions have been imposed, including change in office timings of government employees, work from home in private institutions, classes in hybrid mode in schools, ban on construction and demolition activities. As per the orders issued by the DC, employees in all government offices will come to the office at 9:30 in the morning and will render their services till 5:30 in the evening. In all municipal bodies, the timings would be from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The DC has issued an advisory for all private institutions to work from home till further orders. In compliance with the restrictions of GRAP 4, instructions were given to conduct classes in hybrid mode in all schools except classes 10th and 12th. "Under the restrictions of GRAP 4, there will be a ban on public and private construction and demolition activities including highways an

Air quality panel invokes Grap 4 in Delhi as air quality turns 'severe'

The Centre's air quality panel for Delhi-NCR on Monday invoked stringent measures under Stage 4 of the air pollution control plan as the region's air quality turned "severe" due to unfavourable meteorological conditions, according to an official order. The curbs under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for winters include a ban on all construction and demolition activities, including public projects such as highways and flyovers, and on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential goods into Delhi. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index, which was 379 at 4 pm, breached the 400 mark around 10 pm amid extremely calm winds and "buildup of an inversion layer adversely affecting the vertical mixing height". Vertical mixing height is the height above the surface throughout which a pollutant can be dispersed.

GRAP 3 back in Delhi-NCR: Students up to Class V to opt for hybrid mode

GRAP-3 has again been implemented in Delhi NCR by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). Up till Class V, all Delhi-NCR schools will be now be conducted in hybrid mode

Delhi's 'poor' air quality shows no improvement, AQI recorded at 224

Delhi's AQI continued to be in the 'poor' category, even as some areas in the city showed improved air quality

Delhi's AQI improves to 161, pollution relief to continue for 2-3 days

Delhi's AQI came down to the 'moderate' category on Wednesday evening, with this period of relief expected to continue for the next two to three days

Grap IV hardly enforced? SC questions Delhi govt on air pollution crisis

The Supreme Court emphasised the need for a 'downward trend' in air pollution levels in Delhi NCR before considering easing restrictions under Grap-IV

National Pollution Control Day 2024: Know history, significance, and more

National Pollution Control Day is an occasion to remember those who lost their lives in the Bhopal Gas tragedy on 2nd December 1984. Here's all you need to know

All Grap 4 restrictions to stay until Dec 02, except those on schools: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to relax emergency measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to deal with air pollution in the national capital, ordering it to continue till December 2. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said the second report submitted by the court commissioners showed an "abject failure" of authorities in implementing the GRAP IV curbs in letter and spirit. "We make it clear that all GRAP IV measures except the measures which are modified in respect of the schools will continue to operate till Monday. In the meantime, Commission for Air Quality Management will hold a meeting and come out with the suggestion about moving from GRAP IV to GRAP III or GRAP II. We also make it clear that it is not necessary that all measures which are provided in GRAP IV should be dispensed with," the bench said. Action against officials for a "serious lapse" in ensuring the GRAP-IV curbs needed to be expedited, it added. The bench

Landscape fires reason for 90% pollution related deaths globally: Study

Over 90 per cent of the global deaths per year linked to air pollution from landscape fires were in low and middle-income countries, including India, according to a study published in The Lancet journal. Other countries with the highest burdens of disease due to landscape fires, including wildfires, were China, Indonesia and those in the sub-Saharan Africa. The findings highlighted geographic and socioeconomic inequalities in how landscape fires affect public health, an international team of researchers, including those from Monash University, Australia, found. Landscape fires occur in natural and built-up settings and can include both forest fires and those caused due to human activities. Most of the resulting deaths are related to the air pollution caused due to such fires, contributing to long-term cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. The study attributed roughly 0.45 million deaths a year to heart-related conditions and about 0.22 million deaths annually to respiratory ...

Delhi's air quality deteriorates, hits 'severe' category in several areas

At 8:30 a.m., ITO recorded an AQI of 282, Chandni Chowk 353, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium 411, Patparganj 408, Mandir Marg 413, Lodhi Road 321 and Anand Vihar 438, according to CPCB

Relief in Delhi as air quality improves to 'unhealthy' from 'hazardous'

Delhiites woke to a thin layer of smog and haze that continues to blanket parts of the city

Delhi AQI improves to 'very poor' but Grap-IV to remain active: here's why

Delhi weather and AQI updates: The fog conditions in the national capital have improved, with the India Meteorological Department predicting moderate fog and mist to persist for the next seven days

Delhi's traders face 20% loss as pollution, curbs deter consumers: Cait

Cait Secretary General Khandelwal urges govt to involve trade associations in policy-making, adopt electric trucks for logistics, and offer financial support to businesses

How China won its deadly smog battle. Is it possible for India too?

Over the years, Beijing's air quality improved significantly, dropping by 42.3 per cent between 2013 and 2021, a reduction attributed to stringent policies and enforcement

Delhi's toxic air: AQI hits 500, schools, colleges shift to online classes

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), AQI levels in several locations, including Anand Vihar, Jahangirpuri, and Bawana, reached the 500-mark early Tuesday morning

Indian firms tackle air pollution with flexible work, install air purifiers

The Delhi government has enforced GRAP Stage IV, banning diesel vehicles, restricting non-essential trucks, halting construction, and urging work-from-home to combat severe air pollution

Smog disrupts supply chains, output for 3.4 million MSMEs in north India

Air pollution: Industry bodies say prolonged smog exposure is affecting workers' health, leading to reduced productivity and extended production delays

Pollution harming health while govts blame each other: Robert Vadra

It's embarrassing when people ask how do you live in this gas chamber, he said

Physical classes in Delhi schools, DU to be suspended due to air pollution

Delhi University would shift to online classes till November 23, the varsity announced amid worsening air quality levels in the city. The decision comes as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has reached "alarmingly high" levels, prompting concerns about health and safety. Delhi's had an AQI reading of 494 at 4 pm. In a notification, the university stated, "In the larger interest of students of the colleges and the departments of the University of Delhi, it has been decided that the classes shall be conducted in online mode till Saturday the 23rd November, 2024. Regular classes in physical mode to resume from Monday, the 25th November 2024." The schedule of examinations and interviews, however, remains unchanged, it said. The Delhi government has termed the worsening air quality a "medical emergency" and urged institutions to take preventive measures to safeguard public health. The city's air pollution has been exacerbated by weather conditio

Haryana: Schools till class five in Nuh closed till Nov 22 amid pollution

Meanwhile, a thick layer of smog engulfed the Karnal city of Haryana on Monday as the air quality continues to deteriorate. A layer of fog also shrouded the Ambala city as the winter set in