Page 32 - Delhi Pollution

Orders issued to ensure Yamuna not polluted during Chhath, says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said officials had been directed to ensure that the Yamuna was not polluted during Chhath. "Chhath Puja will be celebrated like before on the ghats of the Yamuna. Orders have been given to all officers that all arrangements are made to ensure that the Yamuna is not polluted," he said in a tweet in Hindi. Chhath will be celebrated on October 30 and 31. It involves the offering of "arghya" to the Sun god by fasting women in knee-deep water. The festival is hugely popular among Purvanchalis living in Delhi.

Sunny morning in Delhi, national capital's air quality in 'poor' category

Delhiites woke up to a sunny morning on Friday with the city's air quality recorded in the "poor" category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 224 at 9.20 am, the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research ( SAFAR) data showed. The index value was 228 (poor category) on Thursday, according to the 24-hour average AQI bulletin of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The capital is likely to witness a generally clear sky on Friday, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said. The maximum temperature is expected to settle at around 34 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. The minimum temperature was recorded a notch above normal at 17.3 degrees Celsius. 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.

BJP leaders dub Delhi govt 'anti-Hindu' over cracker ban ahead of Diwali

BJP leaders on Thursday targeted the Delhi government over the complete ban on firecrackers, dubbing the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation "anti-Hindu". The Kejriwal government said the ban on crackers was imposed on the orders of Supreme Court and the BJP leaders were showing disrespect to the court. Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should allow people in Delhi to burst crackers for two-three hours on Diwali. Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga termed the Kejriwal government as "anti Hindu" and said that it earlier banned Chhath celebration on Yamuna bank and was now trying to prevent cracker bursting on Diwali. The Delhi government, in a statement, said the cracker ban was imposed by the Supreme Court in view of health of the people. "In such a situation, the BJP leaders were disrespecting the Supreme Court order and indulging in dirty politics over health of the people," the statement said. The AAP government also questioned the BJP why it was mum

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

Delhi's air quality to turn 'very poor' ahead of Diwali, curbs imposed

With air quality in the national capital likely to deteriorate to 'very poor' category in ahead of Diwali, the CAQM in Delhi-NCR has directed the authorities to enact Stage 2 of the Graded Response Ac

Air quality in national capital remains poor, no improvement likely

The minimum temperature in Delhi on Tuesday settled at 17.5 degrees Celsius, even as the air quality stayed in the poor category. The city recorded a relative humidity of 85 per cent at 8:30 AM, according to data shared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The minimum temperature on Monday was also recorded at 17.5 degrees Celsius, while the maximum stood at 32.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal. The MeT Office has forecast mainly clear sky later in the day, with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 32 degrees Celsius. Delhi's air quality remained poor for the third consecutive day on Tuesday. No improvement is likely in the next six days, forecasting agencies said here 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.

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

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

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

Bhupender Yadav holds meeting on air pollution with NCR states, Punjab

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav held a virtual meeting with the Environment Ministers of Delhi, NCR states, and Punjab to manage the issue of air pollution in NCR

GRAP: How does it combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR?

The weather is not pleasant in Delhi and NCR of late. Last week, as the air pollution soared in Delhi, authorities had to impose the Graded Response Action Plan to deal with it. Find out more about it

Over 125,000 old vehicles to be deregistered in Noida to control pollution

Over 1.25 lakh old vehicles registered in Gautam Buddh Nagar will be taken off the roads in compliance with a National Green Tribunal order on phasing out diesel and petrol vehicles older than 10 and 15 years, respectively, from the national capital region. The district transport department has started a campaign to phase out such vehicles and begun contacting their owners from October 1 following an Uttar Pradesh government order, officials said. Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) Siyaram Verma said, "These vehicles will either be scrapped or a no-objection certificate (NOC) issued for their usage so that they could be used in some select districts that do not fall under NCR." Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ganesh Saha told PTI that the police department, on its part, was also carrying out stricter checks and penalising old vehicles found plying on the roads. The Uttar Pradesh government order said there were 34 districts with better air quality where such vehicl

Smog tower in Anand Vihar brought pollution down by only 17%: Report

The 82-feet tall tower reduced PM2.5 pollutants by 13% in December 2021, 7% in March, and 17% in April

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

Latest news LIVE: India logs 2,529 Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths in 24 hours

From coronavirus cases in India to all the latest developments from across the globe, catch all the updates here

In Delhi-NCR, 344 units got closure notices for air pollution since Dec

According to CAQM data, as of September 30, 8,270 sites had been inspected

Delhi govt launches 15-point winter action plan to combat air pollution

The action plan includes the installation of 233 anti-smog guns and at least 150 mobile anti-smog guns

CM Kejriwal announces Winter Action Plan to check air pollution in Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced a 15-point Winter Action Plan to curb air pollution in the national capital. The chief minister said certain steps by the government, including the introduction of an electric vehicle policy in 2020 and 24-hour electricity supply, air-pollution level had declined in the last four years. Announcing the action plan, Kejriwal said the government would spray Pusa bio-decomposer on stubble on around 5,000 acres this year. "The Delhi government will install 233 anti-smog guns and 150 mobile anti-smog guns to curb pollution. The government has also developed a green room comprising nine scientific experts who will monitor the situation," he said during a digital briefing. The chief minister said the government, in partnership with IIT-Kanpur, had come up with a supersite at Rouse Avenue to monitor air quality in real time and also make forecasts. He added that the government had formed 611 teams to check garbage burning in the open

Delhi pollution panel bans POP-based idols' immersion in water bodies

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) prohibited immersion of POP-based idols in water bodies for Ganesh Utsav, Durga Puja, and other upcoming festivals

15-point action plan in Oct to fight air pollution in winter: Delhi min

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday said the city government will launch a 15-point action plan in October to fight air pollution in winter. The plan will focus on stubble management, dust pollution, vehicular emission, open burning of garbage, industrial pollution, green war room and Green Delhi application, pollution hotspots, real-time apportionment study, smog tower, e-waste parks, plantation, eco-farming, public participation, firecrackers and joint action with neighbouring states. Rai will discuss all the action points in detail with the 33 departments concerned in a meeting on September 5. Their suggestions and recommendations will be incorporated in the winter action plan. The September 5 meeting will also brainstorm on the implementation of the revised Graded Response Action Plan. Rai said 39 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi is generated locally and the rest comes from neighbouring areas in the National Capital Region. The revamped GRAP -- a set of ant