Page 53 - Air Pollution

In season of pollution, here is what your air purifier needs to do

The device must clean up particulate matter, allergens and ultra-fine dust particles

Thick layer of smog shrouds Delhi, AQI remains in 'very poor' category

A thick layer of smog has surrounded parts of the national capital on Friday morning as Delhi's air quality remained in the lower end of the 'very poor' category with an overall AQI of 324

As Delhi air improves, Govt likely to review curbs under GRAP stage 3

With air pollution levels in Delhi coming down to the 'poor' category from 'very poor', the Commission for Air Quality Management has said it will review the situation on Friday. The Centre's air quality panel may take a call on revoking curbs in place in Delhi-NCR under stage 3 (severe) of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), an official said on condition of anonymity. The panel also issued an order on Thursday, asking authorities to immediately stop polishing, varnishing and painting work at construction sites as these activities create volatile organic compounds which further increase the toxicity of the air and cause harm to human health. "These activities cannot be treated as non-polluting category of construction and demolition activities under the clause 4 (iii) of Stage-III of GRAP and need to be stopped at projects sites, whenever GRAP Stage-III orders are invoked or in operation," the order read. All construction and demolition work, except for essential projects, is .

NHRC seeks report from Punjab on stubble burning amid severe air pollution

The commission said that incidents of stubble burning should be strictly curtailed. It said that if the situation was not improved, a heavy penalty would be imposed on Punjab

Artificial intelligence, drones to fight pollution; CAQM okays 7 projects

The Centre's air quality panel on Thursday said it has approved seven projects which involve the use of drones for real-time air quality monitoring and artificial intelligence for counting of vehicles. Other projects include installation of air purification systems in a market place in Delhi and retrofitting air cleaners in buses. The projects are under supervision of different technical and academic institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said in a statement. CAQM has decided to tap the technical/academic expertise of the reputed scientific institutions working in the field of air pollution for a joint and augmented approach towards prevention, control and abatement of the menace of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, it said. The approved projects will focus on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tool for counting of vehicles, addressing vehicular

Rising air pollution can affect unborn babies, say health experts

As the air quality deteriorates in Delhi-NCR, health experts are of the view that air pollution can negatively affect pregnancy, possibly leading to preterm birth, a low birth weight, stillbirth, or congenital abnormalities. The AQI is constantly dipping into a very poor and severe category in the capital region, with doctors advising expecting mothers to stay indoors as much as possible. WHO has also cautioned vulnerable groups like pregnant women, older adults above 60 years, and children under 5 years about the risks and health effects that poor air quality can cause. Recently, a high-resolution satellite image was released, showcasing a massive methane cloud near a waste facility in India. It is no secret that these gases create a lot of cardiovascular, pulmonary, ENT, and skin-related disasters in the human body. Inhaling harmful substances welcomes innumerable conditions which are at times chronic and dangerous with long-term effects, said Dr. Viswesvaran Balasubramanian, ...

Air pollution behind additional 1.5 mn premature deaths annually: Study

Fine pollution particles (PM2.5) may be responsible for 1.5 million additional premature deaths around the globe each year, according to a study which found that low levels of air pollution are dangerous than previously thought. The World Health Organization's most recent estimates are that over 4.2 million people die prematurely each year due to long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution referred to as PM2.5. The latest study, published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that the annual global death toll from outdoor PM2.5 may be significantly higher than previously thought. That is because the researchers found that mortality risk was increased even at very low levels of outdoor PM2.5, which had not previously been recognised as being potentially deadly. These microscopic toxins cause a range of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancers. "We found that outdoor PM2.5 may be responsible for as many as 1.5 million additional deaths around the glob

SC refuses to accord urgent hearing on PIL on Delhi air pollution

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accord urgent hearing to a PIL seeking fresh guidelines on stubble burning to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, saying some issues are not "judicially amenable" and stressing the need for "genuine solutions". A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices Hima Kohli and J B Pardiwala asked lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha, who filed the PIL, whether banning stubble burning alone would help in curbing air pollution. So what is your solution to Delhi pollution, the CJI asked Jha. On being told that stubble burning is causing the pollution, the bench said, So we ban it? Will that stop? Do we enforce it against every farmer? Let us think of some genuine solutions. There are things, (where) courts can do something and there are something where courts cannot do. We are to look at the judicial aspects. "Some matters, courts can look into and some it cannot. Since they are not judicially amenable... We have heard you and it would not be tak

Delhi's air quality improves on back of winds, rains in Rajasthan, Haryana

Air pollution in Delhi ameliorated from "very poor" to the "poor" category on Wednesday owing to favourable wind speed at night, sporadic rains in adjoining states and a considerable drop in emissions from stubble burning. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 260, dropping from 372 on Tuesday. It was 354 on Monday, 339 on Sunday and 381 on Saturday. This is the lowest AQI since October 20 when it was 232. For November, it was the best AQI since November 29, 2020, when it was 231, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe. The improvement in air quality was evident from better visibility levels with 1,400 metres at the Palam airport and 1,500 at the Safdarjung airport in the morning. A smoky haze had lowered the visibility levels to 800 metres at these places on Tuesday. A Met official said southeasterly winds gusting up to 30 kmph barrelled through parts on Tuesday night. It

Delhi BJP slams Kejriwal for reopening schools amid severe air quality

Taking to Twitter, it said, "Mat karo bachon ki zindagi ke sath khilwad, Delhi puche kahan ho Kejriwal (Please do not play with children's lives.. Delhi is asking where is Kejriwal missing)"

Primary schools reopen in Delhi after short break due to pollution

This ban was imposed in the wake of increasing pollution and the decreasing air quality of the national capital

80% of Delhi-NCR families suffering due to poisonous air, says report

The air quality in the national capital is constantly hovering between the 'very poor' to 'severe' categories, which is expected to worsen in the next four days

Layer of smog lingers in Delhi sky, AQI continues to remain very poor

The air quality in the national capital continues to remain in the 'very poor' category with an overall AQI of 321, according to SAFAR

Delhi records air quality in 'very poor' category for third consecutive day

Delhi recorded its air quality in the very poor category for the third consecutive day on Monday and it is likely to deteriorate further in the coming days due to unhelpful meteorological conditions, forecasting agencies said. The capital's 24-hour average air quality index worsened from 339 on Sunday to 354 on Monday. It was 381 on Saturday. Farm fires in Punjab rebounded -- 2,487 incidents were reported on Monday as compared to 599 a day ago. However, their share in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution dipped from 18 per cent on Sunday to 14 per cent on Monday, according to data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. Delhi government on Monday decided to reopen primary classes from November 9 and revoke the order asking 50 per cent of its staff to work from home in view of improvement in the city's air quality over the last two days. However, plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi wi

Deploy anti-smog guns at C&D sites: CAQM tells Delhi-NCR pollution boards

The Centre's air quality panel has asked pollution control boards in Delhi-NCR to ensure deployment of anti-smog guns at construction and demolition sites in view of poor air quality in Delhi, an official statement said on Monday. The Commission for Air Quality Management has also recommended other measures, such as the use of wind brokers, dust barrier screens, covering of construction material and its debris, and proper disposal of construction wastes, including transportation in covered vehicles, at these sites, it said. The panel noted that these sites are a major and consistent source of air pollution in Delhi-NCR. "At least one anti-smog gun necessary for a total construction area between 5,000 to 10,000 square metre. Two anti-smog guns for area between 10,001 to 15,000 square metre. "For construction area between 15,001 to 20,000 square metre, at least three anti-smog guns are necessary. At least five anti-smog guns should be deployed for a total construction area above 20,

Severe policy lapse

Pollution control needs a holistic approach

Delhi air pollution: Lifting of curbs a hasty decision, say experts

Revoking curbs imposed in Delhi-NCR under the final stage of an action plan to combat air pollution could prove to be a hasty decision, experts said on Sunday and advised caution. Their reaction came after the Centre's air quality panel directed authorities on Sunday to lift the ban on plying of non-BS VI diesel-run light motor vehicles in Delhi-NCR and entry of trucks into the capital imposed under the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The restrictions were imposed three days ago. A decision on reopening primary schools and revocation of the order asking 50 per cent of government staff to work from home is likely to be taken at a high-level meeting to be chaired by Delhi Environment minister Gopal Rai on Monday, an official said. Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha said it could be too soon to revoke curbs as the air quality has improved a wee bit due to favourable wind speed and will go back to the 'severe' category in a couple of days. "These are knee jerk reacti

Paddy stubble burning events in Punjab rise 16 pc to 2,817 on Nov 5: ICAR

The number of paddy stubble burning incidents rose 16 per cent to 2,817 in Punjab on November 5 over the previous day even as the Centre has been appealing to farmers to use Pusa bio-decomposer and other machines for crop residue management. As per the data maintained by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), about 319 stubble burning events were reported in Madhya Pradesh, 91 in Rajasthan, 90 in Haryana, 24 in Uttar Pradesh and nil in Delhi on November 5. Between September 15 and November 5 this year, a total of 29,400 stubble burning events were detected in Punjab alone, followed by 2,530 events in Haryana, 2,246 in Madhya Pradesh, 927 in Uttar Pradesh, 587 in Rajasthan and 9 in Delhi. Stubble burning in neighbouring states, which has been an old menace during the paddy harvesting season, remains a significant contributor to air pollution, especially across northern India, including the national capital. Last week, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had appeal

Air quality improves slightly in Delhi, GRAP Stage IV can be reviewed

After three consecutive days of air quality remaining into severe category, the quality Index improved slightly in the national capital city on Sunday morning

Eyes burn, fatigue: How air pollution is affecting people in Delhi NCR

Business Standard caught up people out and about in Delhi's iconic Connaught Place to see how they feel about the situation and the measures taken by the governments. Let's take a look: