Page 6 - Air Pollution

'No PUCC, No Fuel' rule: Over 3,700 vehicles challaned in Delhi in 24 hours

Delhi fined over 3,700 vehicles and turned back hundreds at border points within 24 hours as the 'No PUC, No Fuel' rule came into force to curb pollution amid severe air quality

Govt to install air purifiers in 10K classrooms: Delhi education minister

Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Friday announced that air purifiers will be installed in 10,000 classrooms to ensure clean air for the students. Addressing a press conference, Sood said that the government is committed towards tackling the problem of pollution through long-term administrative measures. "We are not those who flaunt IIT degrees and do campaigns like Odd-Even or Gaadi On, Gaadi Off campaign. We are tackling the issue of pollution through long-term administrative measures," he said, taking a dig at the previous Aam Aadmi Party government. He added, "We want our children to study smart and also breathe smart air. In the first phase, air purifiers will be installed in 10,000 classrooms." The minister, who also holds the urban portfolio, said the Public Works Department, using the environment cess, will also procure mechanical road sweepers for each of the assembly constituencies.

Delhi pollution curbs open new market for ICE-to-EV retrofitters

Delhi's tighter pollution norms are boosting demand for EV retrofits, but industry players are urging the government to cut GST and ease regulatory hurdles to scale up conversions

Rare smog surge hits Beijing after years of costly pollution clean-up

Beijing was shrouded in heavy smog on Thursday with AQI climbing to very unhealthy levels of 215, a rare spike in pollution in the Chinese capital after years of expensive cleaning up. China's national observatory on Wednesday issued a yellow alert for heavy fog in some parts of the country, saying that thick fog is expected to shroud parts of Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, the Sichuan Basin and Chongqing on Thursday. The smog with polluted air quality is rare these days in Beijing, which used to witness very heavy pollution before the government initiated a series of steps, including closure and relocation of heavy polluting industries in 2016, spending billions of dollars. Officials say the city's switch to natural gas or electric public heating in winters from the coal-fired ones, spending over USD 1 billion, has helped reduce pollution levels. Beijing's efforts to tackle heavy pollution were in the news in recent days in the backdrop of New Delhi witness

Queues thin out at Delhi fuel stations as 'No PUC, No Fuel' rule kicks in

With fewer vehicles rolling in and enforcement teams stationed at entrances, petrol pumps across the national capital on Thursday wore a quieter look as the 'No PUC, No Fuel' rule came into force to curb worsening air pollution. At several fuel stations, vehicles were seen queued up as pollution certificates were checked, while some motorists without documents were turned away, prompting a few to make phone calls for help. At a Janpath petrol pump, Mukesh Kumar said the rules were justified but also questioned how people could be expected to stop using vehicles bought with hard-earned money. Another consumer at the pump supported the move, saying the rule was necessary to control pollution. A DTC in charge, JD Sharma, deployed at a petrol pump, said checks were being carried out manually as there were no cameras at the location. "We are checking pollution certificates and noting down vehicle details, which will be shared with the department concerned," he said. At the Delhi-Noida

Delhi air remains 'very poor' as non-BS VI private vehicles barred

GRAP Stage IV measures remain in force across Delhi-NCR as authorities bar non-BS VI private vehicles, enforce 'No PUC, No Fuel', tighten construction curbs and advise at least 50% work-from-home

'No PUC, No Fuel' rule to be implemented in Delhi today amid worsening AQI

Delhi government's series of strict measures to deal with the air pollution crisis comes into effect today, as the city continues to grapple with severe air quality

Ban demolition work in NCR from Oct to Dec: Union Minister Bhupender Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday said that demolition work should be prohibited in the National Capital Region (NCR) during the peak pollution period, i.e., October to December. Chairing a high-level meeting to review action plans of the municipal bodies of Delhi and Sonepat, he also said that construction and demolition work should not be allowed in the region until construction and demolition waste handling and processing infrastructure is created and identified within a 10 km radius of the site. The minister asked all agencies to work in mission mode to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in the air quality index over the next one year. Stressing the importance of a "Whole-of-Government" and "Whole-of-Society" approach to effectively address air pollution, he said there is a need to improve the "global image of the national capital". He directed the removal of illegal parking and encroachments from 62 identified traffic congestion hotspots in Delhi. "A detail

Delhi to overhaul PUC system, roll out carpool app to curb air pollution

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government would provide ₹2,700 crore over a ten-year period to the MCD for procuring mechanical road sweepers and litter pickers

Delhi govt to pay ₹10,000 to workers hit by Grap curbs: Labour Minister

Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra said the compensation would be provided to workers impacted during the period Grap III remained in force, which lasted 16 days

Delhi offices to run at 50% capacity from Dec 18 amid pollution crisis

From December 18, all Delhi offices will run at 50 per cent capacity, with half staff working from home; essential services are exempt

BS-VI rule in Delhi explained: What it is and how to check your vehicle

BS emission standards are enforced to phase out high-polluting vehicles. Here's what BS-VI means, how it differs from older norms, and how to check your vehicle's category

Delhi tightens pollution norms, bars non-BS-VI vehicles from Dec 18

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said vehicles without a valid PUC certificate would be denied fuel at petrol pumps in the national capital from Thursday

Impossible to fix AQI in 9-10 months, says Delhi Environment Minister

Manjinder Singh Sirsa said air pollution posed a serious and immediate risk to children, but asserted that the current government was taking steps to bring the situation under control

No fuel for vehicles without valid PUCC from Dec 18 as Delhi tightens curbs

From Thursday, vehicles without a valid PUC certificate will not get fuel at petrol pumps in Delhi, as the government steps up action to curb pollution amid worsening air quality

Delhi air quality shows slight improvement, 10 stations record 'severe' AQI

Despite a slight dip in AQI, Delhi continues to grapple with dangerously high pollution levels, with dense smog reducing visibility across the city

Advisories multiply across courts, schools as Delhi-NCR fades into smog

Air quality readings underlined the urgency. Delhi's Air Quality Index ranged between 427 and 498 through the day, with early morning levels touching nearly 500, deep in the "severe" category

Delhi chokes under severe smog as AQI touches 498, visibility drops

A sharp drop in visibility and haze-obscured skyline marked another low for Delhi on Monday as its AQI touched 498 in the morning and settled at 427 by the evening, with air quality in the hazardous "severe" zone. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 27 monitoring stations across the city recorded "severe" air quality, while 12 stations reported "very poor" levels. Wazirpur recorded the worst air quality among the 40 stations, with an AQI of 475. Notably, CPCB does not register an AQI value beyond 500. As per the CBCP, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory, 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe". Data from the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi indicated that PM2.5 concentration stood at 154.96 micrograms per cubic metre, while PM10 levels were recorded at 260.9 micrograms per cubic metre. PM2.5 refers to fine inhalable particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs,

Bhupender Yadav reviews air pollution action plans as Delhi-NCR AQI worsens

Delhi remained under dense smog on Monday, with the Air Quality Index settling at 498, placing it in the 'severe' category

Delhi's air drove 200,000 respiratory illness cases in 3 yrs: Govt data

Growing number of respiratory cases in Delhi hospitals underscores how prolonged exposure to polluted air is stretching healthcare systems and putting vulnerable groups at risk