Page 12 - Air Pollution

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

Centre to rank 131 cities based on actions to improve air quality

Cities are required to do the self-assessment as per the framework provided on PRANA online portal

Gopal Rai writes to Centre, seeks joint plan to fight Delhi air pollution

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday wrote to Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, seeking time to discuss and prepare a joint action plan to fight air pollution in the national capital in winter. The Delhi government is committed to providing clean air to people and is working on short-term and long-term measures. These measures are being implemented through action plans for summers and winters, he said. Rai said the Delhi government's efforts have led to an increase in the number of "satisfactory" (AQ1 51 to 100) and "moderate" (AQI 101 to 200) air quality days. He said like the last two years, the Delhi government has prepared a winter action plan to fight air pollution. "We request you to give us time to prepare a plan to save Delhi from the possible danger of air pollution in the coming months," he wrote in the letter to Yadav, who is the Union environment minister. Last year also, Rai wrote several letters to Yadav, calling for emergency meetings to discuss the air ...

Gopal Rai seeks time to prepare plan to fight air pollution in Delhi

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday wrote to Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, seeking time to discuss and prepare a joint action plan to fight air pollution in the national capital in winter. The Delhi government is committed to providing clean air to people and is working on short-term and long-term measures. These measures are being implemented through action plans for summers and winters, he said. Rai said the Delhi government's efforts have led to an increase in the number of "satisfactory" (AQ1 51 to 100) and "moderate" (AQI 101 to 200) air quality days. He said like the last two years, the Delhi government has prepared a winter action plan to fight air pollution. "We request you to give us time to prepare a plan to save Delhi from the possible danger of air pollution in the coming months," he wrote in the letter to Yadav, who is the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Last year also, Rai wrote several letters to Yadav, calling for emergency .

Over 99% population breathes air exceeding WHO's PM2.5 guidelines: Report

Over 99 per cent of India's population is breathing air that exceeds the World Health Organisation's health-based guidelines with respect to PM2.5, a report by Greenpeace India said. According to the key findings in the report titled "Different Air Under One Sky", the greatest proportion of people living in India are exposed to PM2.5 concentrations more than five times the WHO annual average guideline. It further said 62 per cent of pregnant women in the country live in the most polluted areas, compared to 56 per cent people in the whole population. As per the report's annual average PM2.5 exposure analysis, the region with the highest exposure to pollution in the country is Delhi-NCR. It listed older adults, infants and pregnant women as the most vulnerable groups who are "exposed to worse air". PM2.5 refers to fine particles which penetrate deep into the body and fuel inflammation in the lungs and respiratory tract, leading to the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory problems,

Delhi plans to spend $600 mn to clean its polluted air, says official

India's mega urban centers, including capital New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai, are allocating funds to clean their water and air as population surges

In power in both Punjab and Delhi, can AAP stub farm fires this winter?

Farmers are unconvinced about financial incentives; measures announced in previous years have had little impact

Surplus rains give Delhi 24 'satisfactory' air quality days this July

Only July 2020 was better with an average AQI of 84 -- the city had recorded a significant decline in pollution levels that year due to the strict lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid.

Delhi LG VK Saxena chairs review meet on air pollution in national capital

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena chaired a meeting to review issues pertaining to air pollution in the city and directed the stakeholder agencies and departments to work "effectively"

Consistent improvement in Delhi's air quality: Environment minister Yadav

The number of 'good', 'satisfactory' and 'moderate' days in Delhi has increased to 197 in 2021 as against 108 in 2016.

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

Centre's air quality panel revamps plan to check air pollution in Delhi-NCR

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has revamped the Graded Response Action Plan -- a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in Delhi and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2017, comes into force mid-October when air pollution levels in the region start worsening. The review is part of a policy formulated by CAQM to abate the menace of air pollution in Delhi-NCR. The GRAP for the National Capital Region (NCR) has now been classified under four different stages of adverse air quality in Delhi: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe+' (AQI >450). The revised GRAP recommends a ban on coal and firewood, including in tandoors in hotels, restaurants, open eateries; and on diesel generator sets, except for emergent and essential services under Stage I. If the ...

Air pollution in 10 cities above CPCB limits in summer, shows data

Data from 10 cities across India has shown that monthly PM2.5 and PM10 levels during the summer months breached the annual CPCB safe limits of 40 micrograms per cubic metre

Centre dilutes penal rules in air, water pollution and eco protection laws

The dilution of penal provisions from three key laws - Environment Protection Act, 1986, Air Act, 1986 and Water Act, 1974 is based on suggestions received for decriminalisation of existing provisions

Delhi truck ban during winter may not affect essential supplies, prices

Traders hope vegetables, fruits and milk would be kept out of the ban

First year of lockdown won't change global air pollution, says study

During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world's economy slowed. Yet, the global annual average particulate pollution (PM2.5) was largely unchanged from 2019 levels

Delhi govt extends anti-open burning campaign till June-end: Gopal Rai

The decision was taken at a meeting to review the implementation of Delhi's summer action plan to fight air pollution.

Govt's plan to remove old cars from roads failing to woo owners: Survey

Some 57 per cent of 10,543 vehicle owners surveyed by LocalCircles say whether a car should be removed from service or not should depend on miles on the odometer rather than age

Can CNG vehicle owners expect relief after petrol and diesel rate cut?

Spiraling inflation has forced the govt to slash duties on petrol and diesel. But the prices of CNG have soared about 60% in past one year. Why's CNG on fire? Can CNG vehicle owners expect relief?

Delhi CM flags off 150 electric buses, urges people to take care of them

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday flagged off 150 electric buses and took a ride in one of them