Air Quality

Delhi logs 'good' to 'moderate' air quality in first quarter of 2023: CAQM

Delhi logged 'good' to 'moderate' air quality on 35 days in the first quarter of 2023, the maximum in the corresponding period in six years, barring 2020 when coronavirus led to a strict lockdown, according to data shared by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). There were 17 'good' to 'moderate' air quality days in the first quarter of 2017; 24 in 2018; 32 in 2019; 38 in 2020; 13 in 2021; 27 in 2022 and 35 in 2023, the data showed. The national capital on Friday recorded a 24-hour average air quality index of 73, which is the lowest since October 11 last when it was 66. An AQI (air quality index) reading 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'. According to the Delhi government data, PM2.5 and PM10 pollution in the national capital has reduced by more than 30 per cent in the last eight years. PM10 pollution in the city has reduced to 223 ppm (part

Harder to breathe: Mumbai wheezes its way to becoming pollution capital

Financial capital sees spurt in respiratory ailments as La Niña and construction worsen air quality to historic lows

Need efforts from central, state to improve air quality: Bhupender Yadav

The Centre provided Rs 8,915 crore in the last four years to improve air quality in the 131 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has said. Addressing a meeting of the National Apex Committee under NCAP on Wednesday, Yadav emphasised the need for coordinated action by central and state governments, Union territory administrations, urban local bodies and state pollution control boards to improve air quality. Yadav appreciated the performance of 95 cities which have improved air quality and 20 cities which met the national ambient air quality standards in the financial year 2021-22 under the programme, a statement said. He spoke on the significance of the airshed approach adopted in the Indo-Gangetic plains and stressed the need for regional cooperation to address the issue of air pollution. NCAP is a national-level strategy for a 20 per cent to 30 per cent reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by 2024, with 2017

Beijing's air quality deteriorates amid dust storm, heavy pollution

Skyscrapers in Beijing disappeared into the haze and air quality plummeted as China's capital was enveloped in a dust storm and heavy pollution on Friday. Concentrations of the tiny PM 2.5 particles that can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream entered a dangerous range on air quality monitoring sites, with the IQAir website showing an air quality index of 1,093, a hazardous level, many times higher than what are considered unhealthy levels. Beijing was formerly notorious for its terrible air quality, but conditions had much improved in recent years as authorities took heavily polluting vehicles off the roads and moved coal-fired power plants and heavy industry to the surrounding provinces. The capital also used to be known for regular springtime dust and sandstorms caused by winds blowing in from the loess hills along the upper sections of the Yellow River to the west. Anti-desertification efforts have helped reduce both the frequency and intensity of the storms that had ofte

Less than 1% of earth has safe levels of air pollution, study finds

Air quality is particularly worrisome in regions such as southern Asia and eastern Asia, where more than 90% of days had PM2.5 concentrations above the 15 microgram threshold

Aditya Thackeray slams Maharashtra govt for bad air quality in MMR

In a detailed tweet, he attacked the Shiv Sena Chief Minister Eknath Shinde regime for having no care for the common man owing to low air grade in the MMR

Air quality worsening in India's cleanest city Indore, say experts

Indore may have earned the prestigious tag of being the cleanest city India, but its air quality is worsening due to rapid development in the transport, construction and industrial sectors, said experts on Wednesday stressing the need for intensifying efforts to control the situation. As per the data shared by the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality of Indore on Wednesday was moderate, which can cause breathing discomfort to people with lungs, asthma and heart diseases. Indore has been selected by Clean Air Catalyst, a global alliance working to improve air quality, apart from Jakarta (Indonesia) and Nairobi (Kenya) for one of its projects. As part of the project, three air pollution monitoring stations have been set up in Indore to record data on pollutants like fine particulate matter or PM2.5, carbon monoxide and black carbon, an official of the Clean Air Catalyst said. Indore is not among the most polluted cities in the world, but it is not even one of the cleanest

Rains in Delhi, maximum temperature dips to 5 degrees below normal: IMD

Light showers in the national capital further intensified cold conditions on Sunday taking the maximum temperature to 17.2 degrees Celsius, five notches below the average for the season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in the city settled at 6.4 degrees Celsius, three notches below the average for the season. The relative humidity oscillated between 77 per cent and 95 per cent, IMD said. The national capital received 3.3 mm of rainfall till 5.30 pm, it added. The weatherman has predicted generally cloudy skies with light rain and thundershowers during the morning for Monday, adding that the minimum and maximum temperatures are likely to hover around 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively. On Saturday, the minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 6.1 degrees Celsius and the maximum at 23.8 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 357 at 9 pm, according to the ministry of earth scie

Delhi's air quality dips to 'poor' category, likely to deteriorate further

The PM 2.5 pollutants in the National Capital's air stood at 276 on Friday morning

Indian industry turns to biomass as capital bans coal in pollution fight

The change in air quality is as yet hard to quantify

Air quality in Delhi-NCR continue to remain in 'very poor' category

The AQI in the Delhi University area was 389, while in IIT Delhi area it was recorded at 382. In the Airport (T3) area, the quality of air was recorded at 387

Delhi's AQI severe; forecasts predict immediate improvement, says CAQM

Delhi's air quality rapidly deteriorated to the severe category on Sunday, but the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) chose not to invoke curbs under stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan in view of a prediction of "immediate improvement". The action plan is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the national capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 407 on Sunday, worsening from 294 on Saturday, amid calm winds. The stable atmospheric conditions allowed accumulation of pollutants from highly localised sources, such as a fire in central Delhi on Saturday, an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. In a statement, the CAQM said the sub-committee responsible for invoking action under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) took stock of the situation at a meeting on Sunday. It noted that the sudden and steep dip in air quality in the region is an "aberrat

Mumbai's air quality index in 'poor' category, Delhi at 'very poor'

Delhi on the other hand recorded an Air Quality Index of 245 on Sunday on SAFAR

Delhi gets temporary respite from cold, min temp at 12 degree C, AQI at 341

The AQI in the Delhi University area was recorded at 380 while in Pusa, the AQI was 328, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) data

Explainer: What does an AQI of 450 mean? Is it just a winter thing?

At 450, the concentration of pollutants in the air "affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases"

Delhi's air quality remains in 'severe' category for second consecutive day

Delhi's air quality remained severe for a second consecutive day on Tuesday due to unfavourable meteorological conditions though pollution levels are likely to ameliorate in the coming days, forecasting agencies said. The city's air quality index had deteriorated to the "severe" category on Monday after a gap of around two months, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to direct all NCR states to implement anti-pollution curbs with greater vigour. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 407 at 4 pm on Tuesday. It was 434 on Monday and 371 on Sunday. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". The Delhi government on Monday imposed a temporary ban on plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in the national capital in view of the worsening air quality. The CAQM had on Friday implemented curbs under stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan including a ban on private constructi

Repeated implementation of GRAP III curbs delaying projects: CTI to CAQM

The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has written to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), saying repeated implementation of curbs under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan has delayed projects and affected labourers. The Centre's air quality panel had invoked restrictions under Stage III of GRAP including a ban on private construction and demolition work on December 30 in view of a spike in air pollution. The commission revoked the curbs on Wednesday but reimposed them on Friday due to frequently changing air quality scenario. On Sunday, the CTI wrote to the panel that traders associated with under-construction projects are very upset due to repeated implementation of curbs under Stage III of GRAP and the work is getting delayed. Besides, the livelihood of the labourers has also been affected, CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal and president Subhash Khandelwal said. They urged the CAQM to give relaxations to private construction works under Stage III of GRAP.

Air pollutants linked with asthma attacks in children, adolescents: Study

Moderate levels of two outdoor air pollutants, ozone and fine particulate matter, are associated with non-viral asthma attacks in children and adolescents who live in low-income urban areas, a study conducted in the US has found. The study also identifies associations between exposure to the two pollutants and molecular changes in the children's airways during non-viral asthma attacks, suggesting potential mechanisms for those attacks. The observational study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), US, is one of the first to link elevated levels of specific outdoor air pollutants in particular urban locations to distinct changes in the airways during asthma attacks not triggered by respiratory viruses, according to the investigators. The findings are published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health. "The strong association this study demonstrates between specific air pollutants among children in impoverished urban communities and non-viral asthma attacks further ...

Delhi in 2022 logged 2nd-lowest average PM2.5, PM10 levels in 5 years

Delhi in 2022 saw the lowest recorded daily average PM10 and PM2.5 concentration in five years, barring 2020 with lowest anthropogenic activities due to the pandemic-related restrictions, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said on Monday. PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in 2022, with all activities in full throttle in the Delhi-NCR region, were even lower than those recorded in 2021, it said in a statement. The city logged average PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations of 211 microgram per cubic metre and 98 microgram per cubic metre. The values were the lowest after 2020 which saw average PM 10 and PM2.5 concentrations of 181 microgram per cubic metre and 95 microgram per cubic metre, respectively. Delhi's PM2.5 levels remained in the severe category for 204 hours in 2022 compared to 628 hours in 2021. The average air quality index (AQI) was recorded below the 200-mark for 1,096 hours in 2022 as against 827 hours in 2021, the Centre's air quality panel said. In 2022, Delhi al

Delhi's AQI in 'very poor' category, GRAP stage III norms remain enforced

The Sub-Committee is keeping a close watch on the situation and will review the air quality scenario accordingly on a regular basis, said the Ministry