Page 43 - Air Pollution

Delhi's air quality stays 'poor', anti-pollution drive to start today

CPCB's daily bulletin showed that Meghalaya's Byrnihat was the most polluted city in India, with an AQI of 302, followed by Hanumangarh (297) and Greater Noida (278)

Air quality in Mumbai will improve in two months' time, says minister

Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar on Wednesday said with all the steps taken for air pollution mitigation, it will take upto two months for the air quality in Mumbai to improve. Speaking at a news conference at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters, Kesarkar, who is the guardian minister of Mumbai, said dust particles was the major cause of air pollution in the city. The BMC on Wednesday came out with air pollution mitigation guidelines for construction sites and other sources of air pollution. "Now this action has been started, and in the coming one or two months, you will see its results," Kesarkar said. The Maharashtra government has set up a committee to study the issue and its work has started, he said. The companies implementing big infrastructure projects in Mumbai have agreed to participate in the initiative taken for improving the air quality, Kesarkar said. "Providing clean air to the citizens of Mumbai is also the responsibility of the government

BMC issues new guidelines for construction sites to curb air pollution

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday issued the Guidelines for Air Pollution Mitigation which banned open-air burning of trash or any other material across Mumbai. The guidelines, signed by municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, came amid the worsening Air Quality Index (AQI) in India's financial capital. There shall be a complete ban on open burning anywhere in the geographical area under BMC, especially at garbage dumping grounds and possible sites of trash burning, an official release said. Last week, after holding a joint meeting with all concerned authorities, Chahal had announced that the guidelines would be issued by Monday, but they were released two days late. Builders in the city must engage only the vehicles fitted with a tracking system for the transportation of construction materials, the guidelines said. CCTV cameras must be installed along the periphery of all construction sites to ensure that vehicles are plying after cleaning tyres and not

DPCC chairman stopped study to ascertain pollution sources in Delhi: Rai

The Delhi government's first-of-its-kind study to determine pollution sources in the national capital has been halted unilaterally on the orders of Delhi Pollution Control Committee Chairman (DPCC) Ashwani Kumar, alleged city Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday. In a press conference, Rai said the Delhi Cabinet had approved the study proposal in July 2021 and signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur in October 2022. "The estimated cost was over Rs 12 crore. The Delhi government had released Rs 10 lakh to IIT Kanpur for the procurement of necessary equipment," he said. The minister claimed that Ashwani Kumar, who took up the role of DPCC chairman in December, made a file note earlier this year, expressing concerns about the "substantial expenses associated with the study". Following several meetings with IIT Kanpur scientists, Kumar issued orders on October 18 to stop the release of the remaining funds to IIT Kanpur, effectively cancelling the study, Rai said. "It's very unfortunate t

Indian cities with the worst air quality - Delhi isn't at the top!

Delhi is not India’s most polluted city, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) daily bulletin. Watch the video to know more >

Explained: What is GRAP, and how does it combat air pollution in Delhi NCR

Here is a closer look at Delhi's Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), what it entails, and measures citizens can take to help improve air quality in the national capital

Haryana's air quality this year is the best since Covid-19 lockdown in 2020

Gurgaon's Air Quality Index (AQI) has fallen in the 'very poor' category for 39 days this year, higher than 83 days in 2021 and 80 days in 2022

Overall air quality improves in Delhi on Wednesday morning but still poor

Delhi air quality: Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday said that the second phase of Grap has been implemented in Delhi to reduce the effect of increased pollution

Meerut tops list of Indian cities with worst AQI; check the list here

Delhi-NCR was among the most polluted regions in the country with most cities falling in the 'poor' category

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Today Air Pollution Update, 23 Oct: Delhi's air quality deteriorates

The minimum temperature early today was 17.2 degrees celsius, which is common for this season. Clear skies and a maximum temperature of 31 degrees was observed by IMD for Delhi today

Delhi's air quality continues to be "very poor", Mumbai's slightly better

Delhi pollution: The overall air quality in the national capital deteriorated from the 'poor' category to the 'very poor' category on Sunday afternoon, with the AQI at 302

As Delhi's AQI turns 'very poor', stubble-burning reported in Haryana

"We are forced to set fire to the straw as we have to sow the next crop, we are getting late in it, that is why we have to burn it," a farmer said

Air quality likely to turn 'very poor', Govt invokes Grap Stage 2 measures

Amid a likely increase in pollution levels, the Centre's air quality panel on Saturday directed authorities in the National Capital Region to increase parking fees to discourage private transport and enhance CNG or electric bus and metro services. The action comes as part of 'Stage II' of the central government's pollution control plan known as the 'Graded Response Action Plan' (GRAP), which is implemented in the Delhi-NCR to combat air pollution during the winter season. At a meeting to review the air quality situation in the Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for proactively implementing GRAP, said forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) suggest Delhi's overall air quality is likely to dip and enter the 'very poor' category on October 23 and 24, owing to unfavourable meteorological and climatic conditions. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) sto

Deteriorating air quality in Delhi, violations of Grap: NGT issues notices

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices and sought action-taken reports from several authorities, including the Delhi chief secretary, Union environment ministry and MCD, in a matter regarding the deteriorating air quality in the national capital. The NGT issued the notices while hearing a matter where it had initiated suo motu (on its own) proceedings based on media reports on the deterioration in Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) and violations of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), under which stricter measures are taken to curb air pollution during winter. Noting the reports, a bench of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel said despite action taken by the authorities, the problem of air pollution is aggravating in Delhi and the residents are facing various health problems due to it. "We deem it proper to implead the following authorities in the matter -- chief secretary, Delhi, member-secretary, Delhi Pollution Control Committee

NGT issues notice to Punjab CS, CPCB on pollution caused by stubble burning

Voicing concern over burning of crop residue that causes air pollution in the national capital, the National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Punjab chief secretary and member secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The NGT was hearing a petition it had initiated on its own (suo motu) following a media report highlighting a rise in farm fire incidents in Punjab. The report said stubble burning in the state around autumn was among the biggest contributors to pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR). A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel noted a report by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) which detailed the comparative data of three years on stubble burning incidents along with the names of hotspot districts known for farm fire incidents. Effective implementation of various measures is the key for controlling stubble burning in the state, the bench said on Friday. It said the state authorities, ..

Air pollution scare fuels purifier sales in India as winter sets in

The stores, which usually sell five to seven purifiers a day, sold 50 air purifiers in a single day, earlier this week

'Steps to curb pollution won't be effective till NCR states check sources'

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday demanded that the Centre impose a complete ban on firecrackers and allow movement of only CNG and electric vehicles in the entire National Capital Region in a bid to curb air pollution. Rai, in a letter to Bhupender Yadav, his counterpart at the Centre, said the Delhi government has taken numerous steps to curb air pollution during the winter season. "But these steps will not be effective until Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh deal with the sources of pollution in the NCR region." A report by independent environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment shows that 31 per cent of Delhi's pollution comes from sources within the national capital while 69 per cent is from sources in NCR states, he said. Rai demanded that the Centre convene an emergency meeting to discuss solutions to factors contributing to air pollution in the national capital. The states in the National Capital Region (NCR) should impose a complete ban on ..

Delhi govt approves premium bus service scheme to reduce vehicle usage

The Delhi government has approved a scheme for a premium bus service that aims at reducing intracity usage of private vehicles and help reduce pollution, officials said on Monday. The government uploaded the draft of the Delhi Motor Vehicles Licensing of Aggregator (Premium Buses) Scheme, 2023 on its website in August and sought public feedback. The city government hopes to encourage the middle and upper-middle classes to switch to public transport through the scheme. According to the scheme, a licence holder shall ensure that no premium bus shall be engaged or acquired with a registration date beyond three years from the date of notification of the scheme. "Subsequently, induction of any new Premium bus, the prevailing emission norms, BS-VI must be compliant, either Air-Conditioned CNG or electric buses. After January 1, 2025 the induction of only electric buses shall be allowed, no CNG-operated bus even if having BS-VI compliance shall be allowed to be inducted under this scheme,"

Delhi govt starts plantation drive to curb air pollution in winters

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai launched phase two of a sapling plantation drive in the city on Monday as part of efforts to reduce pollution during the winters and said the increase in green cover has improved the national capital's air quality over the last eight years. The second phase of the plantation drive began at Garhi Mandu in northeast Delhi. "We had set a target of planting 52 lakh saplings, including shrubs, this fiscal. We have already planted 40 lakh as part of our action plan to reduce pollution during the summer season. Now, we are commencing phase two of the plantation drive, during which the remaining 12 lakh saplings will be planted in the winter season," Rai told reporters. He expressed happiness over the New Delhi Municipal Council's campaign to plant 50 lakh saplings, saying it will help increase green cover in the city. The minister highlighted that Delhi's green cover has increased from 20 per cent to 23 per cent during the AAP government's tenure, lead