Page 16 - Air Pollution

The solution to urban congestion is mass transit systems, not more roads

To beat the trauma of congestion, we need to understand its political economy

Delhi gets cleanest July air in 7 years as average AQI drops to 78: CAQM

Delhi recorded its cleanest July air in seven years with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) falling to 78, in the 'satisfactory' category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said on Thursday. The AQI this July was even better than 2020, when pollution levels had dropped significantly due to restrictions on movement and industrial activity during to the COVID-19 lockdown. According to the CAQM, the average AQI for July in previous years stood at 104 in 2018, 134 in 2019, 84 in 2020, 110 in 2021, 87 in 2022, 84 in 2023 and 96 in 2024. The month also saw the highest number of days with 'satisfactory' air quality, 29 this year compared to 16 in 2018, 12 in 2019, 25 in 2020, 20 in 2021, 25 in 2022, 26 in 2023 and 17 in 2024. For the January-July period, Delhi reported significant improvement in air quality with the average AQI dropping to 184 from 204 in 2024 and 183 in 2023. The AQI during the same period was 209 in 2022, 205 in 2021, 159 in 2020, 215 in 2019 and 217 in

MoEFCC utilises 13% of ₹621 crore in environmental protection fund

Rs 138.38 crore has been committed to 24 projects, with Rs 117.2 crore still available for use

Delhi-NCR records cleanest July in a decade, AQI remains 'satisfactory'

Among the monitoring stations, Punjabi Bagh recorded the lowest AQI at 50, followed closely by Bawana at 51 and Vivek Vihar at 55. All three readings fall in the 'good' category

Formula 1 renewable energy shift drives 26% drop in carbon footprint

Often referred to as the pinnacle of motorsport, the racecar organisation, which hosts an annual championship featuring the best drivers in the world, has seen its carbon emissions drop 26% since 2018

Coal, clean air, and a welcome resolution on India's emission norms

The changes to India's policy on emissions from coal plants are not a rollback - but a confident assertion of regulatory maturity, scientific integrity, and rational national interest

Can agglomeration logic still help our people-dense, infra-scarce cities?

Urban agglomeration has long been assumed to lead naturally to growth, but India's failing infrastructure and environmental stress tell a different story

Delhi declares war on air pollution with full-year ban on firecrackers

DPCC imposes year-round firecracker ban in Delhi; police halt online sales, warn of legal action; DRI seizes ₹35 crore worth of smuggled Chinese fireworks in crackdown

What are end-of-life vehicles and why are they being pushed off the roads?

Ban on End-of-Life Vehicles will apply in Delhi and five adjoining NCR districts from November 1; ANPR cameras, VAHAN database to help identify violators and enforce scrapping policy

80% of vehicle owners in Delhi against fuel ban on old vehicles: Survey

A majority of Delhi vehicle owners oppose fuel ban on old vehicles, calling it unfair. They urge the government to focus on better pollution controls like curbing stubble burning & dust emissions

13% babies in India born prematurely, 17% with low weight: Health survey

India's demographic health survey 2019-21 reveals that 13 per cent of children were born prematurely, and 17 per cent with a low weight at birth, with air pollution contributing to the adverse birth outcomes. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and institutes in the UK and Ireland looked at the National Family Health Survey-5 and remote sensing data to analyse how exposure to air pollution in pregnancy impacted the delivery outcomes. The team found that an increased exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy was related with a 40 per cent chance of low birth weight, and 70 per cent of premature delivery. Climate conditions, such as rainfall and temperature, were found to have a greater link with adverse birth outcomes. The study, published in the journal PLoS Global Public Health, also found that children living in the northern districts of India could be more vulnerable to the ambient air pollution. Measurin

Explained: How a ₹3.21 crore artificial rain project could clear Delhi’s toxic air | Delhi pollution

Delhi is set to launch its first artificial rain pilot project using cloud seeding technology in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur and IMD. With pollution levels routinely breaching safe limits, this expe

Delhi to launch ₹3.21 crore artificial rain project: How it will be done

Backed by IIT-Kanpur and IMD, the ₹3.21 crore project aims to trigger artificial rain over Delhi using cloud seeding technology to reduce PM levels and build evidence for future urban use

Delhi merely spent 1/3rd funds received under NCAP to fight 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 ...

Electric vehicles: Why change is needed and how to make it happen

By 2030, the penetration of EV sales would be 70 per cent of all new commercial cars, 30 per cent of private cars, 40 per cent of buses, and 80 per cent of two- and three wheelers

Delhi breathed better in 2025 compared to 2024: Environment Minister Sirsa

Delhi breathed easier between January to May as the AQI saw a significant improvement from last year, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Wednesday. Sirsa said the data reveal that the average AQI during these five months stood at 214, an improvement from 231 recorded during the same period in 2024. In addition, the average PM2.5 concentration for the period dropped to 95 micrograms per cubic metre, down from 111 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024, he added. PM2.5 are fine inhalable particles with a 2.5 micrometre or smaller diameter, and are the greatest health risk. The acceptable annual standard for PM2.5 is 40 micrograms per cubic metre. Delhi's air quality in May was the cleanest for the month in over a decade, Sirsa said. The average AQI for May was in the 'moderate' category an unusual achievement considering the historical trend of 'poor' air quality in previous years. "Unlike previous governments that drafted policies but failed in execution, our governme

Delhi unveils 25-point plan to cut pollution, boost clean mobility: Details

Delhi's new air plan targets dust, vehicles, and landfills, with 5,000 e-buses, 7 million trees, cloud seeding, and AI tools to track and fight pollution

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta launches 'Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025'

Deployment of 2,300 electric autos at metro stations, installing of mist sprayers at 13 pollution hotspots and audit of PUCC centres every six months -- these are some of the features of the Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025 launched by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday. The chief minister stressed that clean and healthy Delhi is the government's dream and said air pollution directly affects people's health. Under the plan titled 'Shuddh Hawa Sabka Adhikar Pradushan Par Zordar Prahar', the government will start planting trees under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign with a target to plant 70 lakh saplings this year, she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier launched the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, a unique initiative combining environmental responsibility with a heartfelt tribute to mothers. Gupta said an audit of Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) centres will be conducted every six months to prevent any corruption. To reduce traffic congestion, the

Climate change, summer dust storms deepen India's air pollution crisis

The WHO recommends an annual average of no more than 5 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) for PM2.5, and a daily average not exceeding 15 µg/m³

Cooking fumes and cosmetics may be raising women's risk of lung disease

Women over 40 face a higher risk of chronic lung disease, possibly due to indoor pollution, hormonal shifts, and misdiagnosis - not just smoking