Page 37 - Air Quality Index

Post-Diwali air quality better than 2021 in several cities, shows CPCB data

Delhi air quality 'very poor' the day after; improvement over previous years

PM 2.5 level lower in Delhi after Diwali but above safe limits: CPCB data

Every year air pollution levels spike in the Indo-Gangetic Plain a day after Diwali with grey skies and hard-to-breathe air

Air quality improves in Punjab after Diwali, average AQI reduction of 16.4%

Punjab has observed the Average Air Quality Index (AQI) reduction of 16.4 per cent from last year and 31.7 per cent from 2020, state Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said on Tuesday

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

Delhi's AQI turns 'very poor'; max temp settle at 31.2 degrees Celsius

Delhi's air quality turned 'very poor' on Monday with its maximum temperature settling at 31.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 14.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average. Humidity levels oscillated between 43 per cent and 90 per cent. Delhiites woke up to a pleasant Monday morning with the minimum temperature settling at 14.9 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average. The relative humidity at 8.30 am was recorded at 82 per cent. The weather department had forecast mainly clear sky for the day with the maximum temperature likely to settle around 31 degrees Celsius. The air quality in Delhi on Diwali Monday turned "very poor" amid an increase in stubble burning, bursting of firecrackers and moderately unfavourable meteorological conditions which allowed accumulation of pollutants, according to Swiss organisation IQAir. Delhi on Diwali was the most polluted city in the world followed by Lah

Delhi not among 10 most polluted cities in Asia: CM Arvind Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said among 10 most polluted cities in Asia, eight are from India and Delhi is not on the list. Citing a report, he said some years back, Delhi was considered to be one of the "most polluted cities in the world" but not anymore. The chief minister posted the media report on Twitter and wrote, "Among 10 most polluted cities in Asia, eight are from India and Delhi not in the list. Some years back, Delhi was the most polluted city in the world. Not any more!" He, however, said there is still a long way to go. "People of Delhi worked very hard. Today, we have improved a lot. While we have improved, its still a long way. We will continue working hard so that we find a place in the best cities of the world," Kejriwal said. "We are committed to making Delhi the best city in the world," he added.

With AQI of 265, Delhi's air on day before Diwali least polluted in 7 years

Delhi recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 265 on Sunday, which was lowest for the day before Diwali in seven years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. Diwali will be celebrated across the country on Monday. 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". Last year, the AQI on November 3 (a day before Diwali) was 314. It had shot up to 382 on the Diwali day and 462 the next day. In 2020, Delhi recorded an AQI of 296 a day before Diwali (November 13), while it worsened to 414 on Diwali and 435 the day after. The capital logged an AQI of 287 on the day before the festival in 2019. It worsened to 337 on Diwali (October 27) and further to 368 the next day. The AQI was 338 on the day before Diwali in 2018. Interestingly, it improved to 281 on the Diwali day before aggravating to 390 the next day. The AQI was 302 and 404 on the day before Di

Ahead of Diwali, Delhi's Air Quality Index dips to 'poor' category

Just a week ahead of Diwali, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital has dipped to the 'poor' category, and in some areas it was recorded as 'severe'.

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

Delhi sees season's first fog; air quality enter poor category by weekend

Delhi reported the season's first episode of fog on Wednesday morning which lowered visibility levels to 350 metres in some parts of the capital. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 20.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below the normal. The maximum temperature settled at around 31 degrees Celsius. Senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) R K Jenamani said the increased moisture content in the air due to a prolonged spell of rain and low temperatures led to the formation of moderate fog in Delhi. "This is the capital's first fog of the season," he said. According to the IMD, very dense fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 is dense, 201 and 500 moderate, and 501 and 1,000 metres shallow . Another IMD official said visibility at the Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, had dropped to 600 metres and to 350 metres at the Palam weather station at 8.30 am. This improved to 2,100 metres at Palam by 9 am and at Safdarjung

Lahore ranked as most polluted city in the world with AQI between 166-279

As the smog season returns, Lahore once again ranked as the most polluted city in the world with the Air Quality Index (AQI) rating ranging between 166 and 279

Backed by strong winds Delhi records cleanest day after Dussehra since 2015

On the day of Dussehra, the AQI was at 211 under the "poor" category. It fell to 79 the next day, under the "satisfactory" category

Graded Response Action Plan: Battling high air pollution in Delhi-NCR

As winter approaches, Delhi-NCR has been placed under the stage 1 measures of GRAP. Read more to find out what exactly is GRAP

Best of BS Opinion: A non-hyphenated democracy, development by HAL & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Up in the air: NCR's smog problem

Stubble burning can make plans ineffective

Delhi's AQI settled mostly under 'moderate' category in September: CPCB

Due to spells of rains, the national capital's Air Quality Index (AQI) settled mostly under the 'moderate' category in September, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. An AQI between 101 and 200 falls under the 'moderate' category. According to data, September's monthly average AQI has increased by 24 per cent in comparison to 2021, which was recorded at 78. Meanwhile, the average AQI in September 2020 stood at 118 and 111 in 2019. "General AQI in September predominantly remains poor. However, rainfall triggers dip in AQI to 'satisfactory' and 'good' categories. September and October are the transition months. Hence, the AQI starts deteriorating," former head of CPCB's air lab, Dipankar Saha said. Awareness campaigns must be started during the AQI transition periods, he added.

India must train 1 mn people for air quality management in 5 years: Report

India needs to train at least 10 lakh people in the next five years for air quality management, according to a new report, which also says around 50,000 jobs could be created in the sector. The report has been prepared by the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iForest) with the support of the World Bank Group. It highlights the need of a national-level programme to develop the capacity of all stakeholders cities, state and central government agencies, private sector, NGOs and media -- to effectively tackle the problem of air pollution. "Our report shows that we need to train at least 1 million (10 lakh) people over the next five years for air quality management. This will also create tens of thousands of new jobs in the public and private sector to plan, monitor, mitigate, and control air pollutants," said Chandra Bhushan, the CEO of iFOREST and the lead author of the report. He said the report is the first attempt of its kind to map the ...

AQI around 70: This July, air in Delhi is the cleanest it has been in 6 yrs

In July, Delhi's air quality is generally cleaner, owing to the monsoons, but this year, patchy rainfall and other meteorological factors have helped in cleaning the air, say experts

AQI in Delhi 'satisfactory', heavy rains likely on Wednesday: Reports

Even as Monday witnessed a sultry weather in the national capital, the rain from the previous day washed off much of the pollutants in the environment resulting in an overall 'satisfactory' quality.

Delhi's air quality in May poorest for the month in three years: CPCB data

Delhi's air quality in May this year was the poorest for the month in the last three years, according to the Central Pollution Control Board data. Experts attributed the poor air quality to the lack of rainfall in the first half of the month. The city received just 1.4 mm of rainfall from May 1 to May 20, according to the India Meteorological Department. Delhi recorded an average air quality index (AQI) of 212 this year as against 144 in 2021 and 143 in 2020. It saw 21 days of "poor" air quality in 2022 as compared to three in 2021 and just two in 2020. The capital had only one day of "satisfactory" air quality this time as against six in 2021 and four in 2020. "Moderate" air quality days also dipped to nine as compared to 22 such days last year. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe', while the AQI above 500 falls in the 'severe plus' category.