Page 6 - Air Pollution

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Delhi air quality improves, AQI now at 320; still in 'very poor' category

NCR also continued to witness bad air as Noida also registered very poor air quality with an AQI of 341 while Gurugram's AQI stood at 324 and continued to remain in the 'very poor' category.

Live updates: Farmers can't be blamed for NCR pollution, says NHRC

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2,467 stubble burning incidents in Punjab in a day, tally rises to 43,144

Punjab saw 2,467 stubble burning incidents on Saturday with Bathinda registering the maximum 358 farm fires. With these, the cumulative farm fire cases between September 15 and November 12 jumped to 43,144, according to the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data. This is 27 per cent less compared to 58,976 crop residue burning incidents reported in the corresponding period of last year, according to data. The state had reported 71,091 such incidents during the same period in 2020, it stated. Of the total 2,467 stubble burning incidents on Saturday, Bathinda topped the list with 358 farm fires, followed by 336 in Moga, 256 in Muktsar, 242 in Fazilka, 231 in Mansa, 200 in Faridkot, 186 in Ferozepur and 174 in Barnala, according to data. The state had seen 1,758 and 3,403 active fire incidents on November 12 in 2020 and 2021 respectively, the data stated. The farmers continued to set crop residue on fire in order to clear fields for sowing the wheat crop. The wheat, if sow

Delhi-NCR pollution: Slight improvement in air quality due to strong winds

Air pollution in Delhi ameliorated marginally on the back of strong winds on Saturday but farm fires raging in Punjab prevented a significant improvement in the air quality. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 303 on Saturday, improving from 346 on Friday. It was 295 on Thursday. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". Officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said winds gusting up to 18-20 kmph barrelled through the city during the day, improving air quality and visibility levels. The Centre's air quality panel had on Friday said curbs under stage 3 (severe) of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue in Delhi-NCR as the air pollution in the region is showing an upward trend. All construction and demolition work, except for essential projects, is banned in Delhi-NCR under the third stage of the GRAP. Brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers are also not allowed to ...

Pollution: Over 5,800 vehicles challaned for violating GRAP Stage 3 rules

On Monday, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had said that the ban has been removed from construction work related to highways, pipelines etc

Delhi-NCR pollution: Farm fires due to failure of 4 state govts, says NHRC

After hearing the responses of the chief secretaries of Delhi and three neighbouring states on the pollution issue, the NHRC on Saturday said farmers are burning stubble "under compulsion" and it is due to the "failure" of the four state governments that stubble burning is happening. Alarmed over the rise in pollution in Delhi-NCR, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had recently asked the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to appear before it on November 10 to discuss the matter. The Commission, after considering the responses of the states concerned and the government of Delhi, and the deliberations thereon, is of the opinion that the "farmers are burning stubble under compulsion," the NHRC said in a statement on Saturday. "The state governments have to provide harvest machines to get rid of those stubble, but they have failed to provide an adequate number of requisite machines and other measures; as a result, farmers are forced to burn the ...

Delhi-NCR air quality deteriorating, GRAP stage III curbs to continue: CAQM

The Centre's air quality panel on Friday said curbs under stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue in Delhi-NCR as the air pollution in the region is showing an upward trend. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index stood at 346 at 4 pm on Friday, deteriorating from 295 on Thursday. "The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been showing an increasing trend for the last two days in Delhi-NCR. Wind conditions have not been very favourable and accordingly dispersion of air pollutants has not been very effective," the CAQM said in a statement. Considering the need to continue with the steps to prevent deterioration of air quality, the sub-committee on Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has decided that the "ongoing action implemented under Stage III of GRAP shall continue and it should not be withdrawn at this stage". All construction and demolition work, except for essential projects, is banned in Delhi-NCR under the third stage of the GRAP. Brick kilns, hot mix plants

In season of pollution, here is what your air purifier needs to do

The device must clean up particulate matter, allergens and ultra-fine dust particles

Thick layer of smog shrouds Delhi, AQI remains in 'very poor' category

A thick layer of smog has surrounded parts of the national capital on Friday morning as Delhi's air quality remained in the lower end of the 'very poor' category with an overall AQI of 324

As Delhi air improves, Govt likely to review curbs under GRAP stage 3

With air pollution levels in Delhi coming down to the 'poor' category from 'very poor', the Commission for Air Quality Management has said it will review the situation on Friday. The Centre's air quality panel may take a call on revoking curbs in place in Delhi-NCR under stage 3 (severe) of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), an official said on condition of anonymity. The panel also issued an order on Thursday, asking authorities to immediately stop polishing, varnishing and painting work at construction sites as these activities create volatile organic compounds which further increase the toxicity of the air and cause harm to human health. "These activities cannot be treated as non-polluting category of construction and demolition activities under the clause 4 (iii) of Stage-III of GRAP and need to be stopped at projects sites, whenever GRAP Stage-III orders are invoked or in operation," the order read. All construction and demolition work, except for essential projects, is .

NHRC seeks report from Punjab on stubble burning amid severe air pollution

The commission said that incidents of stubble burning should be strictly curtailed. It said that if the situation was not improved, a heavy penalty would be imposed on Punjab

Artificial intelligence, drones to fight pollution; CAQM okays 7 projects

The Centre's air quality panel on Thursday said it has approved seven projects which involve the use of drones for real-time air quality monitoring and artificial intelligence for counting of vehicles. Other projects include installation of air purification systems in a market place in Delhi and retrofitting air cleaners in buses. The projects are under supervision of different technical and academic institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said in a statement. CAQM has decided to tap the technical/academic expertise of the reputed scientific institutions working in the field of air pollution for a joint and augmented approach towards prevention, control and abatement of the menace of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, it said. The approved projects will focus on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tool for counting of vehicles, addressing vehicular

Rising air pollution can affect unborn babies, say health experts

As the air quality deteriorates in Delhi-NCR, health experts are of the view that air pollution can negatively affect pregnancy, possibly leading to preterm birth, a low birth weight, stillbirth, or congenital abnormalities. The AQI is constantly dipping into a very poor and severe category in the capital region, with doctors advising expecting mothers to stay indoors as much as possible. WHO has also cautioned vulnerable groups like pregnant women, older adults above 60 years, and children under 5 years about the risks and health effects that poor air quality can cause. Recently, a high-resolution satellite image was released, showcasing a massive methane cloud near a waste facility in India. It is no secret that these gases create a lot of cardiovascular, pulmonary, ENT, and skin-related disasters in the human body. Inhaling harmful substances welcomes innumerable conditions which are at times chronic and dangerous with long-term effects, said Dr. Viswesvaran Balasubramanian, ...

Air pollution behind additional 1.5 mn premature deaths annually: Study

Fine pollution particles (PM2.5) may be responsible for 1.5 million additional premature deaths around the globe each year, according to a study which found that low levels of air pollution are dangerous than previously thought. The World Health Organization's most recent estimates are that over 4.2 million people die prematurely each year due to long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution referred to as PM2.5. The latest study, published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that the annual global death toll from outdoor PM2.5 may be significantly higher than previously thought. That is because the researchers found that mortality risk was increased even at very low levels of outdoor PM2.5, which had not previously been recognised as being potentially deadly. These microscopic toxins cause a range of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancers. "We found that outdoor PM2.5 may be responsible for as many as 1.5 million additional deaths around the glob

SC refuses to accord urgent hearing on PIL on Delhi air pollution

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accord urgent hearing to a PIL seeking fresh guidelines on stubble burning to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, saying some issues are not "judicially amenable" and stressing the need for "genuine solutions". A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices Hima Kohli and J B Pardiwala asked lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha, who filed the PIL, whether banning stubble burning alone would help in curbing air pollution. So what is your solution to Delhi pollution, the CJI asked Jha. On being told that stubble burning is causing the pollution, the bench said, So we ban it? Will that stop? Do we enforce it against every farmer? Let us think of some genuine solutions. There are things, (where) courts can do something and there are something where courts cannot do. We are to look at the judicial aspects. "Some matters, courts can look into and some it cannot. Since they are not judicially amenable... We have heard you and it would not be tak

Delhi's air quality improves on back of winds, rains in Rajasthan, Haryana

Air pollution in Delhi ameliorated from "very poor" to the "poor" category on Wednesday owing to favourable wind speed at night, sporadic rains in adjoining states and a considerable drop in emissions from stubble burning. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 260, dropping from 372 on Tuesday. It was 354 on Monday, 339 on Sunday and 381 on Saturday. This is the lowest AQI since October 20 when it was 232. For November, it was the best AQI since November 29, 2020, when it was 231, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe. The improvement in air quality was evident from better visibility levels with 1,400 metres at the Palam airport and 1,500 at the Safdarjung airport in the morning. A smoky haze had lowered the visibility levels to 800 metres at these places on Tuesday. A Met official said southeasterly winds gusting up to 30 kmph barrelled through parts on Tuesday night. It

Delhi BJP slams Kejriwal for reopening schools amid severe air quality

Taking to Twitter, it said, "Mat karo bachon ki zindagi ke sath khilwad, Delhi puche kahan ho Kejriwal (Please do not play with children's lives.. Delhi is asking where is Kejriwal missing)"

Primary schools reopen in Delhi after short break due to pollution

This ban was imposed in the wake of increasing pollution and the decreasing air quality of the national capital

80% of Delhi-NCR families suffering due to poisonous air, says report

The air quality in the national capital is constantly hovering between the 'very poor' to 'severe' categories, which is expected to worsen in the next four days