Page 8 - Latest Updates on Delhi air quality

Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor', temperature drop adds to woes

Delhi-NCR continues to be under dense smog with 35 of 39 monitoring stations recording 'very poor' AQI. Temperatures have also hit the lowest so far this year

Delhi air quality remains 'very poor' as govt steps up anti-pollution drive

Government ramps up mist spray units, intensifies dust and debris control, and urges citizens to report pollution issues via the MCD-311 app for faster action

Using Toyota's 'Mirai' car running on futuristic hydrogen fuel: Gadkari

Amid air pollution in Delhi, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the central government is giving priority to alternative fuels, and he has started using Toyota's 'Mirai' hydrogen fuel-cell car. "The futuristic fuel is hydrogen.. I have also got a car, which is hydrogen, and the car is from Toyota ... It gives the same comfort as Mercedes. The name of the car is Mirai, which is a Japanese word meaning future," Gadkari said during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha. The Union minister said the import of fossil fuel is costing India Rs 22 lakh crore, and it is also creating a lot of pollution. "Because of pollution, you are all facing the crucial problem; I am also facing the problem in Delhi," he said, as he expressed confidence that as India moves to alternative fuel, the country will become a net exporter of energy. During 202425, India imported around 300 million metric tons of crude and petroleum products and exported about 65 million metric tons. Th

Delhi AQI remains very poor as city braces for extreme cold, smoggy skies

Delhi's air quality remains very poor with most monitoring stations recording an air quality index (AQI) above 300

Delhi air quality turn 'severe' as AQI crosses 400 across multiple hotspots

Delhi's air quality slips into severe levels again, with most areas under smog. AQI readings above 400 at key hotspots signal serious health risks, while forecasts show little relief

Toxic cocktail of pollution during early winter in Delhi-NCR: CSE

Despite a significantly lower contribution from farm fires this season, Delhi's air quality has still slipped into the very poor to severe, pointing to the impact of local pollution sources

Delhi court grants bail to 8 arrested in scuffle with cops at India Gate

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to eight protesters arrested in connection with a scuffle with police outside the Parliament Street Police Station. Police had originally arrested 17 people in a case lodged at Parliament Street Police Station. On November 28, nine of them were granted bail. The remaining eight were granted bail on Tuesday by Judicial Magistrate First Class Sahil Monga on a bond of Rs 20,000. During the hearing, the additional public prosecutor opposed the bail, stating that more time is needed to "uncover the conspiracy" behind the political slogans hailing Madvi Hidma, and to uncover the source of funding for the students, who, he said, seem to possess expensive phones and earlier travelled to Hyderabad for a conference held by banned group, Radical Students' Union. The counsel for the protesters pleaded that the arrested students are young and meritorious with no criminal antecedents. The bail order stated that a significant portion of the objections raised

Delhi air stays 'very poor' as over 30 stations record AQI above 300

City records average AQI of 333; falling temperatures, and lower wind speed hinder dispersion of pollutants

Air pollution crisis needs monitoring, not customary hearing in winter: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday said the air pollution issue in the Delhi-NCR cannot be treated as a "customary" case to be listed only during the winter months, noting that it will be taken twice in a month to find out short and long-term solutions to the menace. In a significant shift from the usual narrative, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said, "The issue of stubble burning should not unnecessarily become a political issue or an issue of ego." Questioning the usual blame on stubble burning as the key contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR, CJI Kant, who comes from a farmer's family at Hissar in Haryana, asked, "Stubble burning was there during COVID, but why could people still see clear blue skies? This suggests other factors are at play." "We do not want to comment on stubble burning as it is incorrect to pass the burden onto people (farmers) who are hardly represented in this court," the CJI said, adding, "The issue of stubble burning ..

Traffic, not stubble burning, drives daily pollution spikes in Delhi: Study

Even with farm fires at a multi-year low, Delhi-NCR's winter air remains suffocating. For most of October and November, pollution levels hovered between 'very poor' and 'severe', fuelled by a rising "toxic cocktail" of PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) emitted mainly from vehicles and other local sources. At least 22 air-quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded carbon monoxide (CO) levels above permissible limits on more than 30 of the 59 days assessed, with Dwarka Sector 8 logging the highest number of breaches at 55 days, followed by Jahangirpuri and Delhi University's North Campus, both at 50 days, according to a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The analysis also highlights a troubling proliferation of pollution hotspots in the capital. In 2018, only 13 locations were officially designated as hotspots. Now, several more locations routinely record pollution levels far higher than the city average. Jahangirpuri emerged as Delh

Mumbai enforces Grap-IV measures as AQI worsens: How it differs from Delhi

Mumbai enforces GRAP-IV curbs as air quality worsens in several areas; construction, industries checked, flying squads deployed

Air pollution: A four-point plan to help tackle the ever-growing menace

As a first step, the state, through the FCI or a new agency created for this purpose, should buy all the rice crop waste of North India at a remunerative price

Delhi air quality deteriorates to 'very poor' levels, AQI crosses 300

Nehru Nagar in south Delhi recorded highest pollution levels among city neighbourhoods, with an AQI of 351. In contrast, NSIT Dwarka in southwest Delhi recorded 195, falling under 'moderate' category

Delhi-NCR records best Jan-Nov air quality in 8 years, excluding 2020

Officials said the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) continues to work with stakeholders across Delhi-NCR to enforce pollution control measures and improve air quality

Delhi's Jan-Nov average AQI lowest since 2018, barring lockdown year: CAQM

Delhi recorded its lowest January-November average air quality index (AQI) since 2018, barring the Covid lockdown year of 2020, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said on Sunday. The average AQI for the period this year was 187, compared to 201 in 2024, 190 in 2023, 199 in 2022, 197 in 2021, 172 in 2020, 203 in 2019 and 213 in 2018, the CAQM said in a statement. Only three days saw the daily average AQI exceed 400 (severe category) between January and November this year. There were 11 such days in 2024, 12 in 2023, four in 2022, 17 in 2021, 11 in 2020, 16 in 2019 and 12 in 2018. Not a single day has crossed the 450 mark so far this year, the statement said. PM2.5 concentration for the period up to November 27 was the lowest since 2018 and at par with 2020. The average stood at 85 micrograms per cubic metre this year, against 98 in 2024, 90 in 2023 and 2022, 95 in 2021, 85 in 2020, 99 in 2019 and 103 in 2018. PM10 levels were also the lowest for the corresponding peri

Road dust emerges as major pollutant in Delhi; 35 high-dust spots located

Road dust remains a major driver of particulate pollution in the capital, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said on Sunday after its flying squads inspected 321 road stretches across Delhi under Operation Clean Air. The inspections, carried out on Saturday, were meant to check how much dust had settled on the roads and whether cleaning, sweeping and dust-suppression measures by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and Central Public Works Department (CPWD) were working on the ground. Out of the 321 stretches checked, 35 showed high levels of visible dust, 61 had moderate dust, 94 recorded low dust and 131 had no visible dust. CAQM in a statement said the results highlight once again that road dust remains a major contributor to Delhi's particulate matter, especially in winter, and that regular mechanical sweeping, timely removal of collected dust, pavement upkeep, and water-sprinkling are essential. MCD had the largest number

PIL in Delhi HC seeks urgent action to tackle hazardous air pollution

A PIL filed in the Delhi High Court has sought urgent steps to control hazardous air pollution levels in the national capital. The plea said over the past several years, the ambient air quality in Delhi has deteriorated drastically, with AQI frequently entering the 'very poor', 'severe' and 'hazardous' categories, especially during winter. The increased pollution has resulted in persistent and serious health issues among residents, including children, senior citizens and persons with pre-existing ailments, it said. The petition has been filed by Greater Kailash-II Welfare Association, which has urged the court to order urgent, effective and scientific measures, both immediate and long-term, to control the city air pollution. The plea said the authorities, which remained "virtually inactive" as the air quality steadily deteriorated, chose to issue "Stage III - steps to be taken" only after the AQI had crossed its critical level. The government confined itself to merely prescribing

After severe smog, Delhi's AQI slips to 'poor' but hotspots remain high

Shadipur recorded the highest pollution levels this morning at 336, followed by RK Puram at 308, both falling in the 'very poor' category

Delhi's air remains 'very poor' for 15th day despite slight improvement

City records average AQI of 338; more foggy, stagnant conditions expected to hinder pollution dispersion

Delhi AQI remains 'very poor' for half of Nov; no relief expected next week

The national capital recorded an AQI of 369 on Friday, extending its streak of 'very poor' air quality to half the month of November, and forecasts show no respite in the next week. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settled at 369 on Friday, compared to 377 on Thursday, 327 on Wednesday, 352 on Tuesday and 382 on Monday, remaining in the 'very poor' category for the 14th consecutive day. The highest AQI in the city, at 414, was recorded in Dwarka Sector 8, the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Sameer app showed. The air quality is likely to remain 'very poor' over the coming week, according to the forecast by the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi. Meanwhile, the Sameer app, which displays real-time pollution readings from monitoring stations across Delhi, showed that several stations -- including RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, Nehru Nagar, Dwarka, Rohini, Jahangirpuri, and Mundka -- recorded AQI levels above the 400 mark. Out of 39 monitoring stations, a total o