Page 57 - Air Pollution

Delhi's air quality lowest in last 5 years after Diwali, still 'very poor'

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 312 was the second best for the Diwali day in seven years

Pune's air quality turns to 'poor'; MPCB monitors noise levels: Report

Pune warrior moms, a group of mothers from across the country with various city level branches who are fighting for the right of children to breathe clean air, also urged the state govt to act

Despite ban, firecrackers burst in several parts of Delhi on Diwali

Firecrackers were burst by people in many parts of Delhi on Diwali night, flouting the ban imposed on it by the city government. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai last week had said bursting of firecrackers on Diwali in the national capital will attract a jail term up to six months and a fine of Rs 200. Despite legal deterrent in place to discourage people from doing so, by dusk, residents in many neighborhoods, including some areas in south Delhi and northwest Delhi, had started bursting crackers. Even high-intensity firecrackers could be heard going off on ground, or mid-air. Diwali is being celebrated across the country on Monday. Bursting of firecrackers on this auspicious day is an old tradition, but authorities in the city had said the decision to restrict it was taken after considering environmental concerns and health hazards associated with it. Delhi's air quality turned "very poor" on Monday amid an increase in stubble burning, bursting of firecrackers and moderately .

Real-time monitoring of sound, air pollution on Diwali underway in Bengal

West Bengal Environment Minister Manas Bhuniya Monday said the new central control room at Paribesh Bhavan here is monitoring sound and air pollution in real time on Diwali and Kali Puja. Bhuniya, who inspected the control room at the West Bengal Pollution Control Board headquarters, told reporters that experts from IIT-Delhi are examining the data at regular intervals, particularly during evening, and passing on the information to departments concerned. "If there is any data about violation of sound limits prescribed by the WBPCB, we will mark the hotspots and officers of the respective police stations will be alerted, and the offenders will be tracked," he said. Over 100 mini control rooms at the district level across North and South Bengal are functioning since the evening and feeding data to the central control room every minute, an Environment Department official said. WBPCB chairman Kalyan Rudra said so far, the situation has not turned alarming, which can be attributed to th

Air quality in Delhi 'poor', Noida 'very poor' ahead of Diwali; AQI at 276

The pollution level in the National Capital remains in the "poor" category as the Air Quality Index in the Delhi region was at 276 on the eve of Diwali

Delhi's overall air quality likely to remain 'poor' till Diwali: Report

Delhi's overall air quality is predicted to remain in the 'poor' to the lower end of 'very poor' category until the morning of October 24, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). Transport-level winds from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh towards Delhi will pick up from October 24 and, in all likelihood, will bring significant stubble-related emissions to Delhi, SAFAR said. The city's 24-hour average AQI was recorded in the 'poor' category at 265 on Saturday as residents flouted the ban on firecrackers in parts of the national capital ahead of Diwali, according to Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) data. 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, and 401 and 500 severe. "If stubble burning increases gradually, which is likely, its share in Delhi's PM2.5 (based on the average temporal variability of fire counts in the previous years) is like

Stubble burning significant contributor to Delhi's unbreathable air: Report

As the air quality in the national capital exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) during the winters, stubble burning remains a significant contributor to Delhi's unbreathable air in October and November, a research study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said. It further said the causes behind Delhi's unbreathable air include a lack of emission control technologies in major sources of pollution, vehicular emissions, and episodic events of stubble burning, making the city's air quality extremely hazardous. "With the rains between 5 and 11 October giving Delhiites a brief respite from air pollution, the city's ambient air quality has deteriorated significantly since then and will continue to do so with winter fast approaching, the study said. It said the same or even higher pollution levels are expected across other cities and rural areas nearby Delhi, including Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Panipat, Ambala, Amritsar and ...

Solution for stubble burning

While there are many other contributors to poor AQI, stubble burning contributes between 35-45 per cent of atmospheric pollution in this season

PM2.5 pollution in Delhi during July-Sept quarter, 2nd lowest in 5 yrs: CSE

Delhi's PM2.5 pollution average for the July-August-September quarter this year stood at 37 microgram per cubic metre, only marginally higher than the five-year low of 36 microgram per cubic metre recorded during 2020, according to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Pollution levels in the July-August-September quarter were preceded by one of the most polluted summers this year, unlike in 2020 when the trimester followed the cleanest ever summer (March-May) due to extraordinary conditions created because of hard pandemic lockdowns, the green think tank said. "Therefore, it is important to understand what aided in cleaning up the Delhi air. Looking at the rainfall data it becomes evident that distribution of rainfall has a relatively higher impact on seasonal air quality than the absolute quantity of rainfall," it said. There have been 45 rainy days in July, August and September this year as compared to just 39 rainy days in the quarter last year. "These si

Delhi air pollution in early winter down 20% compared to pre-Covid: Report

The report also states that the onset of winter has been much cleaner this year due to the rains which were witnessed in September and October

Punjab rapped for failure to control stubble burning surge ahead of Diwali

On Monday and Tuesday, 1,045 events of stubble burning were reported as against 114 events during the same period in 2021

Temperature dips to 17 degrees Celsius, air quality remains poor in Delhi

Delhi on Wednesday recorded a minimum temperature of 17 degrees Celsius, a notch below the normal for this time of the year, the India Meteorological Department said. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 33 degrees Celsius. Delhi's air quality continued to be in the poor category for the fourth consecutive day and any improvement is unlikely over the next few days. The air quality index (AQI) stood at 241 at 9 am. At least seven out of the 35 monitoring stations in the city recorded the air quality in 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, and 401 and 500 severe. According to the Decision Support System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the transport sector accounted for 18.5 per cent of PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on Tuesday. The Early Warning System of the IITM said the air quality was likely to remain in the poor and very p

Air quality-driven construction ban may delay realty projects in Delhi-NCR

568,000 housing units are under various stages of completion. Periodic bans by NGT, govt, or apex court in response to poor air quality have serious consequences, say experts

Smog-covered festivities for Delhi-NCR as stubble burning, Diwali coincide

Ongoing construction across NCR to exacerbate situation; While the number of residue-burning cases reported so far is about half of last year's figure, it is likely to shoot up in the days ahead

Stubble burning: Bio-decomposer to be sprayed in Delhi fields from today

The Delhi government will start spraying Pusa bio-decomposer in agricultural fields to prevent stubble burning in the capital from Tuesday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. Prepared by scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) here, the Pusa bio-decomposer is a microbial solution which can turn paddy straw into manure in 15-20 days. The solution will be sprayed on 5,000 acres of basmati and non-basmati fields in the capital this year. The Pusa bio-decomposer was used on 4,300 acres of land belonging to 844 farmers in Delhi last year. In 2020, 310 farmers had used it on 1,935 acres of land. The Delhi government has set up 21 teams to create awareness about the effectiveness of bio-decomposer and register farmers who want to use the solution in their fields. According to officials, spraying of bio-decomposer costs just Rs 30 per acre. In 2021, a third-party audit conducted to ascertain the impact of the microbial solution in Delhi showed that it was 95 per

Air pollution: 491 construction, demolition sites in Delhi-NCR to be shut

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said on Saturday it has issued directions for the closure of 491 construction and demolition sites, including 110 in Delhi, for flouting air pollution control norms. The CAQM has set up 40 flying squads to rigorously monitor enforcement and compliance of its directions to ameliorate the air quality of Delhi-NCR. These flying squads have inspected more than 8,580 construction and demolition sites till October 14. Closure directions have been issued to 491 defaulters -- 110 in Delhi, 118 in Haryana, 211 in Uttar Pradesh and 52 in Rajasthan -- a statement said. The flying squads have been conducting surprise inspections and field-level incognito checks at industrial units, construction and demolition sites, commercial and residential units, air pollution hotspots, etc. The CAQM also advised state implementing agencies, including state pollution control boards and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, to ensure compliance and strict ...

Delhi: CAQM advises implementation of air pollution norms, warns of action

Intensifying its actions in the battle against air pollution in Delhi-NCR in the coming days, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) urged all concerned including Industries and Project Proponents of Construction and Demolition (C & D) sites to strictly follow the statutory directions issued by the Commission, said the officials on Saturday.The general masses have also been advised to strictly follow the steps highlighted in the Citizen Charter in each stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the coming days.The 40 inspection teams/ flying squads constituted by the Commission are under directions to intensify inspections, supervise and rigorously monitor enforcement and compliance of statutory directions issued by the Commission to ameliorate the air quality of Delhi-NCR.These flying squads will conduct surprise inspections and field-level incognito checks at industrial units, C & D sites, commercial/ residential units, air ...

40 flying squads to monitor compliance of air pollution norms in Delhi

The CAQM in NCR and adjoining areas has urged all concerned including industries and construction agencies to strictly follow the statutory directions issued by the Commission

CP smog tower has noticeable impact on Delhi air pollution: Gopal Rai

The smog tower at Connaught Place here has a noticeable impact on air pollution up to a distance of 300 metres, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday. Within a radius of 50 metres, the giant air purifier is able to cut down air pollution by 70 to 80 per cent. It reduces pollution levels by 15 to 20 per cent beyond 300 metres, he told reporters. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the over 24-metre-high smog tower at Connaught Place on August 23 last year. The city government had formed a team of experts from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, IIT-Bombay, NBCC and Tata Projects to study its impact over two years. Officials had earlier said the Rs 20 crore smog tower can purify the air in a one-km radius at a rate of around 1,000 cubic metres per second. Rai said the construction of more smog towers in the capital would depend on the success of the pilot project. The smog tower at Baba Kharak Singh Marg has 5,000 coarse filters and 5,000 fine filters develo

Air quality likely to worsen in next few days due to stubble burning

Now that the rains and strong winds have stopped, the national capital will witness air pollution rising, said Dr Ravi Kant Pathak