Page 34 - Air Pollution

Delhi BJP leaders hold protests against AAP govt over air pollution

Wearing oxygen masks, Delhi BJP leaders and workers held protests at four places in the national capital on Saturday morning against the AAP government over the air pollution in the city. The party's leaders said the protests were held at the ITO crossing, near the India Gate, the roundabout near the Le Meridian Hotel and the 11 Murti roundabout. Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari and Delhi BJP general secretary Kamaljeet Sehrawat joined the protest at the 11 Murti Chowk, they said. Delhi BJP general secretaries Harsh Malhotra and Yogendra Chandolia joined the protests at the ITO crossing and the Le Meridian roundabout respectively. Senior Delhi BJP leader Rajiv Babbar joined the demonstration at India Gate, they added. The Centre on December 22 ordered a ban on non-essential construction work and plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in the Delhi-NCR amid worsening air quality in the region. GRAP is the Centre's air pollution control plan implemented in the region

Dense fog; flights, trains cancelled: Delhi wakes up to inclement Wednesday

While the overall AQI continued to remain 'very poor' at 383 on Wednesday morning, parts of the national capital witnessed the air quality dip to 'severe'

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Delhi air quality: AQI in several parts of capital 'very poor' on Tuesday

Delhi air quality update: Delhi's AQI is likely to deteriorate and reach the 'severe' category on December 27, the Early Warning System (EWS) predicted

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New Delhi's AQI recorded under 'severe' category on Saturday morning

The air quality index (AQI) in the national capital on Saturday morning was recorded under 'severe' category, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said. The AQI in the national capital was recorded at 447, which comes under the severe' category. An Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is considered good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 very poor', 401 and 450 'severe' and above 450 severe-plus'. The Centre on Friday ordered a ban on non-essential construction work and plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi-NCR amid worsening AQI in the region. Unfavourable meteorological conditions, including fog and haze, with low wind speed are the major causes behind this sudden spike in Delhi's daily average AQI, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to combat pollution in the region, said. Re-invoking curbs under Stage-III of the Graded

Delhi pollution: Grap stage III re-invoked amid worsening air quality

The Centre on Friday ordered a ban on non-essential construction work and plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi-NCR amid worsening air quality in the region. Unfavourable meteorological conditions including fog and haze with low wind speed are the major causes for a sudden spike in Delhi's daily average air quality index (AQI), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to combat pollution in the region, said in an order. Delhi's overall AQI is steadily rising since this morning. It stood at 397 at 10 am and 409 at 4 pm. Re-invoking curbs under Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the CAQM ordered a ban on non-essential construction work, stone crushing, and mining in Delhi-NCR. Construction work related to national security or defense, projects of national importance, healthcare, railways, metro rail, airports, interstate bus terminals, highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, .

Delhi air quality: AQI in parts of the capital rises to 'severe' on Friday

Delhi air quality update: The national capital's AQI would fluctuate between 'very poor' and poor' in the next four days

NCAP funds remain largely unused in Delhi-NCR cities, govt data shows

Cities in Delhi-NCR and covered under the National Clean Air Programme have utilised less than 40 per cent of the funds allocated to curb air pollution levels, the Centre informed Parliament on Thursday. According to data presented by Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the central government released Rs 428.61 crore to Delhi, Noida, Alwar, Meerut, Faridabad and Ghaziabad between 2019-20 and 2023-24. Of this, only Rs 170.58 crore (around 40 per cent) has been utilised. Delhi received Rs 38.22 crore but utilised only Rs 10.77 crore. Similarly, Noida utilised only Rs 0.95 crore of the Rs 26.42 crore allocated to it under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Alwar utilised a meagre Rs 0.04 crore from its allocation of Rs 15 crore. Meerut and Ghaziabad, receiving funds under the 15th Finance Air Quality Performance Grant, utilised Rs 81.93 crore and Rs 76.89 crore from their allocations of Rs 139.19 crore and Rs 136.25 crore, respectively. The NCAP, laun

Delhi air quality: AQI in parts of capital falls to 'very poor' on Thursday

Delhi temperature today: The minimum temperature in the capital is expected at 6.2 degrees Celsius, two degrees below the season's average

Experts wary about artificial rain's feasibility in curbing pollution

Can artificial rain dissipate toxins in the air? As the skies over several parts of north India turn blue again and pollution levels improve from 'severe' but continue to be 'very poor', the question of whether cloud seeding can really be a long-term solution gathers urgency. It is a tempting prospect and nothing more, say scientists, stressing on the need to tackle the problem at its root. Artificial rain is not just expensive - an estimated Rs 1 crore to induce rain in an approximate 100 square kilometre area - but also offers temporary respite. The respite artificial rain offers is short-lived... the return of polluted air swiftly restores hazardous levels, highlighting the need for more sustainable solutions, Sunil Dahiya, an analyst with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, told PTI. Artificial rain can't be induced to last for days and over such large geography as NCR or north India which limits its usage as air pollution reduction technology for the region, he ...

Delhi AQI remains 'very poor' on Monday as minimum temperature dips

Delhi pollution news today: As of 9 am on Monday, the AQI in Ashok Vihar was 348, showing 'very poor' air quality. The AQI at Delhi International Airport was 332 and at ITO was 352

Delhi's double trouble: Chilling cold and 'very poor' air quality

Earlier, Delhi recorded a temperature of 7.4 degrees Celsius at 5:30 am on Saturday

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Delhi records minimum temperature of 5.5 deg C, AQI in 'very poor' category

Delhi on Saturday recorded a minimum temperature of 5.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department. The IMD has predicted clear skies during the day. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 25 degrees Celsius, it said. The relative humidity at 8.30 am was 100 per cent. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital was recorded at 346 which comes under the very poor' category. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good', 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor', 301 and 400 very poor', 401 and 450 severe' and above 450 severe-plus'. Delhi on Friday recorded its lowest minimum temperature of the season so far at 4.9 degrees Celsius, which was even below Shimla's minimum temperature of 6.8 degrees Celsius.

Lahore receives first artificial rain to combat smog with UAE's assistance

Lahore, one of the world's most polluted cities, on Saturday received its first artificial rain, following an experiment conducted by Pakistan's Punjab government with the help of the UAE to combat smog. Addressing a press conference here, the Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the experiment was conducted in 10 areas of Lahore and it was successful. Around 10 per cent of areas in Lahore received rainfall today due to cloud seeding experiments, he said, adding that at least 48 flares were deployed for cloud seeding. "Light showers were witnessed in the 10 areas of 15 km radius. The results of the experiment are being further gauged," he said. "Not a single penny was spent for the artificial rain. To combat smog, the government is ready to take any measure," the chief minister said. He also thanked the UAE government's help in initiating the artificial rain, also known as cloud seeding, to wash away pollutants in the air in the provincial capital. Last month, lo

Delhi AQI: Air quality in several parts of Delhi 'very poor' on Thursday

Delhi pollution news today: The AQI at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was recorded at 345 on Thursday at 7 AM and RK Puram saw an AQI of 360

Crop residue burning must stop, monitoring needed to check pollution: SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said crop residue burning, which affects air quality in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), "must stop", and underlined the need for judicial monitoring to ensure people do not face the same scenario every winter. Observing that farm fires were still significant, a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia directed the state governments concerned to take steps to curb pollution. "Let us at least make an endeavour for the next winter to be little better," said the apex court, which was hearing a matter related to crippling air pollution that has been choking Delhi-NCR during winter year after year. The bench noted several meetings of the committee chaired by the Union cabinet secretary were held and it has prepared action plan for states, including Punjab and Haryana, to deal with the issue. It said the states concerned have to implement the action plans and submit progress reports before the court within two months. "We direct th

Air quality in several parts of Delhi falls to "severe" on Wednesday

Delhi pollution news today: Anand Vihar's AQI was 415 on Wednesday morning and Ashok Vihar's AQI was 412