Page 5 - Delhi Pollution

Delhi chokes as AQI hits severe levels, fog worsens pollution across region

Delhi-NCR's air quality plunged into the severe zone on Monday, with fog trapping pollutants, 20 stations crossing 400, and authorities invoking Grap

Air pollution: Delhi goes for a soft battle against a tough enemy

Pollution grows unabated amid faulty policies and delays: Experts

Air quality in Delhi remains 'severe' with AQI over 400 at multiple sites

Air quality plunged across Delhi-NCR, with several zones breaching the 400 AQI threshold as foggy conditions and dipping temperatures intensified pollution on Sunday

Delhi govt advises private offices to allow 50% employees to work from home

The Delhi government on Saturday directed private offices to operate with 50 per cent on-site staff and to allow the remaining employees to work from home as a precautionary measure under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III. The advisory follows directions from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), officials said. Delhi's air quality remained 'very poor' for the ninth consecutive day on Saturday, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 370, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. A total of 11 monitoring stations in Delhi logged readings in the 'severe' category. The government has asked private offices to operate with 50 per cent strength on site and to allow the remaining employees to work from home as a precautionary measure under the GRAP Stage III, an official statement said. They have also been asked to widely disseminate the advisory and ensure effective implementation across all branches. GRAP is a framework designed to tack

CAQM flags 29 pollution norm violations in enforcement drive in Sonipat

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) detected 29 violations of pollution-control norms, including five at construction and demolition (C&D) sites, during a large-scale enforcement drive in Haryana's Sonipat on Friday, according to a statement. Twenty flying squad teams were deployed across conforming and non-conforming industrial clusters as well as C&D sites in the district on November 21 as part of the CAQM's intensified on-ground monitoring during winter months, according to the official statement issued by the Union environment ministry. The drive was carried out with the support of the district administration, including deputy commissioners, duty magistrates and police personnel, to ensure "smooth operations", the ministry said. Of the 101 sites inspected, 55 were in non-conforming areas where 21 violations were flagged, including two at C&D sites. In conforming industrial zones, officials checked 46 units and found eight violations, including three ...

Delhi halts outdoor school activities as air quality stays in 'severe' zone

Delhi government has stopped all outdoor activities in schools as air quality stays in the 'severe' range; CAQM has asked schools to postpone sports events due to rising health risks for children

'Air too toxic to breathe': Parent's post questions Delhi's school calendar

With Delhi's AQI in the 'severe' range, a parent's LinkedIn post highlights how frequent pollution-related shutdowns are affecting children and suggests reworking school breaks

Delhi govt waging war on pollution, citizens must join effort: Sirsa

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Wednesday the government is waging a war against pollution and urged people to join its efforts to improve the city's air. He said 62 new pollution hotspots have been identified, and work is underway to address them. Solid waste, road dust, construction activity and traffic congestion are the main factors pushing Delhi's air quality index higher, Sirsa told reporters. "Sixty-two hotspots have been identified that contribute to pollution caused by garbage and dust. All Delhi government ministers, under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's instructions, are inspecting these hotspots," he said. He appealed to residents to support the drive to make Delhi free of garbage, dust, and pollution. "Delhi government is waging a war against pollution. This needs to be fought together, and I appeal to people to join in to make Delhi garbage, dust and pollution-free," he said. Sirsa inspected one of the hotspots in the Palam area along with the

PM2.5 poses new woes for Arthritis patients, NCR docs report spike in pain

As the national capital enters its harsh winter phase with plunging temperatures and thickening smog, physicians are sounding the alarm on a dual threat to joint health. Over the past two months, consultations for joint pain among patients with chronic arthritis have risen, although specific data quantifying the overall increase in joint cases across Delhi remains unavailable. A 2025 study published in the European Medical Journal found that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of developing arthritis by 12 to 18 per cent, reinforcing concerns that poor air quality and cold weather together can significantly worsen joint pain and inflammation, according to orthopaedic specialists across the Delhi-NCR region. In many cases, the winter chill causes muscles around joints to tighten, blood flow to slow, and the tissues around the joint to contract. These factors are enough to worsen stiffness in patients and increase pain in patients with Osteoarthri

Delhi AQI tops 400 at multiple stations as winter smog sets in across NCR

Delhi's air quality plunged to 'severe' levels on Wednesday morning as smog thickened across NCR, with vehicles and stubble burning driving pollution and IMD forecasting foggy, colder mornings

SC demands details on Delhi's AQI monitoring systems amid accuracy concerns

The court issued directions after amicus curiae pointed to reports and videos alleging that water was being sprinkled near AQI monitoring stations, potentially distorting readings

Datanomics: Delhi's worsening air pollution crisis stuck in a toxic loop

Hundreds marched in Delhi against hazardous air as AQI crossed 600 in parts of the city. Activists allege data manipulation near monitoring sites amid slow clean-air fund use

'Even masks not enough': SC asks lawyers to go virtual amid Delhi pollution

The Supreme Court called Delhi's air pollution 'very serious', urging lawyers to attend hearings virtually and warning that the toxic air could cause permanent health damage

Centre directs states to set up chest clinics amid pollution surge

The Centre has asked all states and UTs to open chest clinics under the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health to tackle pollution-related illnesses during peak smog months

Delhi AQI hits 425, firms allow work-from-home amid Grap Stage III curbs

The development comes on the heels of the Delhi government imposing the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) Stage III, after the air quality was in the "severe" category at 425

Delhi air remains 'severe'; GRAP Stage III curbs imposed, schools go hybrid

AQI crosses 400 mark in 31 of 39 monitoring stations; construction activities restricted, BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles barred under new curbs

Business goes on in Delhi markets even as air quality hits severe levels

Even as Delhi's air quality remains in the severe category, traders say sales are steady and shoppers are adapting, with malls reporting strong footfalls despite marginal high-street dips

Moving India: Delhi caught between lifeline and last-mile of urban mobility

India's cities choke on congestion, pollution, fragmented transport. This six-part series traces the lifelines of urban mobility. Part-I exposes Delhi's stalled buses, crumbling last-mile connectivity

Stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana worsening Delhi-NCR AQI: Supreme Court

Stubble burning has commenced in a big way with impunity in Punjab and Haryana leading to further worsening of air quality levels in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court was told on Tuesday. A bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai, which is scheduled to hear the air pollution case on Wednesday, was urged by senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who is assisting the bench as an amicus curiae, that a response be sought from the governments of Punjab and Haryana. Singh referred to NASA satellite images to buttress her point that stubble burning in these two states has commenced and it is contributing to already severe air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. "The apex court orders are being flouted with impunity," she said, adding that these states should respond to the present situation. "We will pass some orders on Wednesday," the CJI said. Earlier on November 3, the top court directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to file an affidavit detailing the steps it has taken so far to ..

Delhi schools till Class 5 to conduct classes in hybrid mode as AQI worsens

Earlier today, the Central government invoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) after the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi rose to 425 and hovered in the "severe" category