Page 47 - Delhi Air Quality

Delhi air: 50% surge in health insurance inquiries, most pick Rs 1 cr cover

Many are choosing the Rs 1 crore cover, a combination of base and super top-up

Despite sudden showers, Delhi continues to struggle with 'severe' AQI

Delhi air pollution today: Parts of Delhi saw some respite due to rain, but the city largely continues to struggle with an AQI of over 400

Smog towers no solution; Centre not in favour of more giant air purifiers

Punjab told to immediately announce incentive scheme on lines of Haryana to encourage farmers to shift from paddy, manage stubble

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Delhi govt announces early winter break for schools amid severe AQI

The AQI level is still poor in Delhi NCR, the Delhi education minister announced early winter break and instructed students and teachers to stay at home

Gopal Rai calls meeting with all ministers on ongoing air pollution problem

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has called a meeting with all ministers to discuss the air pollution problem gripping the national capital for more than two weeks now. The meeting will take place at the Delhi Secretariat at 12:30 pm, officials said. The air quality in Delhi was recorded in the 'severe' category on Thursday morning, with a marginal improvement expected just ahead of Diwali as meteorological conditions are likely to become slightly favourable. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 420 at 8 am on Thursday, compared to 426 at 4 pm on Wednesday. The AQI map prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board showed clusters of red dots (indicating hazardous air quality) spread across the Indo-Gangetic plains. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (369), Gurugram (396), Noida (394), Greater Noida (450), and Faridabad (413) also reported very bad air quality. According to officials at the India Meteorological Department, a change in wind direction from northwest to southeast due

Delhi's AQI 'severe', smog continues to persist over parts of the capital

Delhi air quality today: AQI in Anand Vihar was recorded at 432 (severe category), while in the RK Puram area, the AQI stood at 453 (severe category)

Odd-even scheme implementation deferred till SC reviews effectiveness

The Delhi government on Wednesday said the odd-even car rationing scheme will be implemented in the national capital after the Supreme Court reviews its effectiveness and issues an order. Addressing a press conference, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the city government would submit the results of two major studies conducted by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago and the Delhi Technical University to determine the scheme's effectiveness for the Supreme Court's review. "The decision to implement the odd-even scheme will be made only after the Supreme Court reviews its effectiveness and issues an order," the minister said, adding that the matter will be next heard on Friday. On Tuesday, the apex court questioned the effectiveness of the Delhi government's scheme, aimed at curbing vehicular pollution, and referred to it as "all optics." Rai had previously announced the flagship scheme, which permits cars to operate on alternate days based on their odd or even

'Garbage burning, dumping C&D waste top contributors to Delhi pollution'

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Wednesday said open burning of garbage, dumping of construction waste and use of tandoors in restaurants are among the top contributors to rising air pollution in the national capital. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has collected nearly Rs 1.51 crore in seven days from fines imposed on violators flouting the ban on these activities, she added. "We have deployed special teams on the ground to keep a check on open burning (of garbage) and (dumping of) construction and demolition (C&D) waste, which have been banned keeping in mind the rising air pollution. These activities have been banned as they are among top contributors to the rising levels of air pollution in the city," Oberoi said during a press conference. The MCD has deployed 517 surveillance teams to curb air pollution in the national capital. The teams have issued 297 challans for open burning of garbage and 622 challans for dumping C&D waste to defaulters in seven days. Among the .

Delhi govt to attempt inducing artificial rain to curb air pollution: Rai

The Delhi government will attempt to induce artificial rain through cloud seeding this month in an effort to combat air pollution in the national capital, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday. Rai said he held a meeting with scientists from IIT Kanpur who told him that cloud seeding could only be attempted if there were clouds or moisture in the atmosphere. "Experts anticipate that such conditions could develop around November 20-21. We have asked the scientists to prepare a proposal in this regard which will be submitted to the Supreme Court," the minister added. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department, told PTI that research is being conducted globally on artificial rain. "There have been a few attempts in India... in Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Globally, research is being conducted on artificial rain, which requires the basic requirement of clouds or moisture. Only under these conditions can it occur. "Certain nuclei ar

Polluted air unrestricted by borders: Haryana CM amid political blame game

Polluted air is not restricted by borders, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday and claimed that people in his state as well as in Delhi were suffering with Punjab reporting several cases of crop-residue burning. He, however, stressed there should not be politics over the issue and that it is the collective responsibility of everyone to keep the environment clean. The air quality in Delhi and its adjoining areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) worsened on Wednesday morning, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounting for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital. "There should be no politics. Unfortunately, a few people are doing politics over it, but they are not getting any benefit...," the chief minister said when asked by reporters in Pinjore on a Supreme Court bench on Tuesday taking a stern view of states trying to shift the blame on one another, and observing there cannot be a "political battle"

Delhi pollution: Ex-VP Naidu advises Centre, Kejriwal govt to work together

The Centre, Delhi government and neighbouring states should evolve a consensus formula to tackle the problem of air pollution in the city and there should be no politicking on the issue, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Wednesday. Calling for immediate measures to tackle the problem, he said it is a very serious issue as it affects the health of youngsters. "The air pollution problem should be taken seriously because Delhi is the capital of India and there should not be any politicking," he told a select group of journalists here. He said although it is basically the duty of the Delhi government, it is also the responsibility of the Centre and the states around to come together and evolve a time-frame based programme to tackle this problem. "I appeal to all, including the Central government, to coordinate, cooperate and work together and evolve a consensus formula to tackle this," Naidu said, adding, "It is high time the problem is taken care of". On the PM Garib Kal

Delhi air quality 'severe', farm fires account for one-third pollution

Air quality in Delhi and its suburbs dropped to the severe category again on Wednesday morning, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounting for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 421, worsening from 395 at 4 pm on Tuesday. Despite a marginal dip, the concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times in the capital. It was 30 to 40 times the healthy limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Several cities across the Indo-Gangetic plains reported hazardous air quality. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (382), Gurugram (370), Noida (348), Greater Noida (474), and Faridabad (396) also reported hazardous air quality. According to data from the Decision Support System,

Delhi's air quality 'severe' with AQI in most parts of city above 400

Delhi air pollution today: The odd-even rule for vehicles is set to kick in from November 13, the Supreme Court on Tuesday, however, called the move 'all optics'

Delhi to include SC's directives for implementation of odd-even scheme: Rai

The Delhi government will incorporate the Supreme Court's directions on pollution in finalising details of the odd-even car rationing scheme, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday. The minister on Monday announced that to combat pollution, the odd-even scheme will be enforced in the national capital from November 13-20. The apex court, while hearing a matter pertaining to air pollution in the Delhi-NCR on Tuesday, flagged issues like crop residue burning, vehicular pollution and burning of waste in the open. Rai said he held a meeting with senior officers of the transport and environment departments and the traffic police to discuss the modalities of the odd-even scheme. The government will now study the SC order and include its suggestions and directions to plan further, he added.

We are being targeted, defamed for Delhi air pollution, say Punjab farmers

Farmers in Punjab Tuesday said they were unnecessarily being targeted and defamed for air pollution in Delhi, asserting that industries, vehicles and the construction sector are the major sources of pollution in the national capital and not stubble burning. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered a contributing factor to the spike in pollution levels in Delhi in October and November every year. Amid the recent decline in air quality in the national capital, the AAP and the BJP have blamed stubble burning in states ruled by the other for the pollution. Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday said most stubble burning incidents are being witnessed in the BJP-ruled Haryana and Uttar Pradesh whereas such cases are declining in his state. On the other hand, Haryana Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Dalal on Saturday had slammed the Bhagwant Mann government over the stubble burning incidents in the state. Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhde

Delhi's air quality dips to 394, improves slightly to 'very poor' category

According to the data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national capital's AQI was 421 on Monday evening

'Odd-even' scheme back in Delhi from Nov 13 to Nov 20 to curb pollution

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had called a high-level meeting on the issue of increasing pollution today

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32% families in Delhi planning to burst firecrackers on Diwali: Survey

Around 32 percent families are planning to burst firecrackers in Delhi, while 43 per cent cited concerns about pollution as the reason for not doing so, according to a survey by a community social media platform. According to the survey by Localcircles that received over 9,000 responses from residents of Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad, 32 per cent families in Delhi-NCR are likely to burst firecrackers this Diwali despite a ban on its sale and use. Pollution levels in Delhi-NCR on Monday morning were recorded around seven to eight times above the government-prescribed safe limit, as a toxic haze persisted over the region for the seventh consecutive day. Many residents believe that stubble burning in the neighbouring states is the primary cause of increased air pollution in Delhi-NCR from late October to early November, the survey stated. "As per reports, the sale of firecrackers is not prohibited in neighbouring states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In the last