Page 13 - Air Pollution

Smog chokes Delhi as pollution remains high despite anti-smog efforts

Even after strict curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan, Delhi continues to choke under a thick blanket of smog, with AQI levels staying stubbornly in the 'very poor' zone

How the air you breathe could be silently harming your brain health

Studies increasingly find links between higher concentrations of certain pollutants and the prevalence of dementia

Best of BS Opinion: India, US must push for a quick trade agreement

Today's opinion pieces look at the US tariff issues, NCR's air pollution hazard, India's diversity as a counter to AI, and the need for knowledge-industry linkages

NCR's air pollution problem needs hard decisions from states, Centre

The Delhi government's well-meant cloud-seeding experiment to contain pollution must be viewed in this context

Delhi's AQI slips to 'very poor'; visibility drops amid smoke and fog

With smoke and fog reducing visibility across the city, Delhi's air quality deteriorated further on Saturday, falling into the 'very poor' category with an overall AQI reading of 303 compared to 218 a day earlier. The city's primary weather station at Safdarjung reported a visibility of 900 metres with calm winds, while Palam recorded a visibility of 1,300 metres with south-southwesterly winds at 4 kmph. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), shallow fog mixed with smoke prevailed over both stations. An IMD weather expert noted that the reduced visibility was due to the combined effect of smoke and fog. Meanwhile, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city's average Air Quality Index stood at 303 at 4 pm, indicating a sharp decline in air quality. Wazirpur reported the highest pollution level in the city with an AQI of 383, placing it in the 'very poor' category, according to data on the CPCB's Sameer app. Out of 38 monitoring stations in th

No entry to non-Delhi BS-III goods vehicles from today: Key details

Officials estimate that around 50,000-70,000 vehicles in the NCR region do not meet BS-VI standards, and those below BS-III standards will be turned back at the borders

Best of BS Opinion: The night, the noise, and the need for balance

Today's pieces look at public debt and economic stability, trade as strategic leverage, the continuing unemployment crisis in Bihar, and how pollution has turned the Milky Way's light into an irritant

Air quality in Delhi-NCR improves slightly but remains in 'poor' category

Stronger breeze offered slight relief even as air quality remained 'poor'. Delhi recorded its wettest October in three years, keeping temperatures unusually lower

Every breath you take: How air purifiers have become critical in households

Once a winter luxury for those with respiratory issues, air purifiers are now a fixture in most households, particularly in the NCR region, thanks to ever-increasing levels of air pollution

India saw over 1.7 mn deaths from PM2.5 pollution in 2022: Lancet report

Human-caused PM2.5 pollution was responsible for more than 17 lakh deaths in India in 2022 -- up by 38 per cent since 2010 -- with use of fossil fuels contributing to 44 per cent of the deaths, according to a global report published by The Lancet journal. Use of petrol for road transport contributed to 2.69 lakh deaths, the '2025 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change' said. Estimates also suggest that premature mortality in 2022 due to outdoor air pollution in India translated into a financial loss of USD 339.4 billion -- about 9.5 per cent of the country's GDP. An international team of 128 experts from 71 academic institutions and UN agencies, led by University College London, was involved in producing the ninth edition of the report. Published ahead of the 30th UN Conference of the Parties (COP30), the report provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the connections between climate change and health, the authors said. The findings assume ...

Can cloud seeding really clean Delhi’s air? | Delhi air pollution | Delhi aqi

Every winter, Delhi turns into a gas chamber — and this year, the government’s pinning hopes on cloud seeding to wash the air clean.

Air quality turns 'severe' in Delhi as smog thickens; AQI crosses 400 mark

Stubble smoke, low humidity and stagnant winds have trapped pollutants close to the surface, worsening Delhi's smog, with conditions expected to deteriorate further over the next 48 hours

Punjab records 283 stubble burning cases, highest single-day spike

Punjab on Wednesday saw the season's highest single-day spike in stubble burning with 283 instances, official data showed. The latest addition took the total farm fire count since September 15 to 1,216. Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Sangrur and Ferozepur districts accounted for the bulk of crop residue burning cases, according to Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data, as many farmers continued to disregard the state government's appeal to not set the crop residue on fire According to the data, the highest farm fire incidents were reported from Tarn Taran at 296, followed by Amritsar, 173, Sangrur, 170, Ferozepur, 123, Patiala, 73, Bathinda, 61, and Kapurthala at 48. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR. As the window for the Rabi crop, wheat, is very short after paddy harvest in October-November, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off crop residues. According to PPCB data, the total area under paddy ...

Air purifier sales surge as Delhi-NCR battles severe air pollution

With Delhi-NCR in the grip of severe air pollution, sales of air purifiers have spiked and the number of enquiries gone up, especially after Diwali. The air-purifier category, which is yet to achieve a scale and expand beyond metropolitan areas, routinely witnesses a spike in sales around Diwali, when the AQI (air quality index) worsens. Delhi's air quality improved slightly on Wednesday morning but remained in the "poor" category with an overall AQI of 273, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). On Tuesday, the city recorded an AQI of 294 at 4 pm, a marginal drop from Monday's reading of 301, which fell under the "very poor" category. Demand for air purifiers picked up sharply from early October, ahead of Diwali. We have seen strong traction across omnichannel platforms, with retail continuing to play a pivotal role in driving offtake, Eureka Forbes Chief Growth Officer Anurag Kumar told PTI. Eureka Forbes has witnessed a high double-digit year-on-year growth f

Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor' despite cloud seeding trials

With several hotspots across Delhi clocking an AQI over 300, authorities have tightened vehicle entry norms and intensified monitoring amid rising winter pollution

From despair to action: How India can put an end to stubble burning

It is not a utopian vision, but a pragmatic and achievable goal over the next three years

Pakistan's Lahore chokes as toxic smog makes it world's most polluted city

Dawn reported that several monitoring stations recorded air quality levels in the 'hazardous' category, with some areas facing emergency conditions

Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor' as govt seeks cloud seeding trial

The capital's AQI today morning was 305 with haze and cloudy skies, as authorities prepare for the first cloud seeding experiment to trigger artificial rain and reduce air pollution

Delhi gears up for first cloud seeding experiment to fight air pollution

The experiment, in collaboration with IIT Kanpur and the IMD, aims to trigger artificial rainfall and curb worsening air pollution as the capital braces for its peak winter smog season

122 stubble burning incidents on Sunday mark highest single-day spike

Punjab witnessed 743 stubble burning incidents from September 15 till October 26, with 122 cases on Sunday marking the highest single-day spike this season, official data showed. Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts contributed the bulk of cases, according to Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data, as many farmers continued to disregard the state government's appeal to stop crop residue burning. The state has seen a sharp jump in stubble-burning cases in the past week, from 353 cases recorded till October 20 to 390, the data showed. According to the data, the highest farm fire incidents were reported from Tarn Taran at 224, followed by Amritsar 154, Ferozepur 80, Sangrur 47, Patiala 39, Gurdaspur 38, and Kapurthala 29. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR. As the window for the Rabi crop, wheat, is very short after paddy harvest in October-November, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off crop ...