Page 5 - Delhi Air Quality

Delhi air quality improves amid sharp drop in stubble burning in farms

Delhi's air quality improved significantly on Tuesday amid a sharp decline in farm fires in Punjab over the last two days. The capital's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 227 on Tuesday. It was 294 on Monday and 303 on Sunday. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. The air quality is likely to improve further on the back of strong winds, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said The city recorded a minimum temperature of 15.4 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 29.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, it said. According to Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) data, Punjab reported 141 farm fires on Tuesday and just four on Monday. A total of 2,467 incidents of stubble burning were reported in the agrarian state on Saturday. The share of farm fires in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution dropped to 3 per cent on Tuesday from 13 per cent on Monday, according to SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Ministry of Earth

Delhi: Air quality improves but still in 'poor' category; AQI at 221

NCR also witnessed some improvement in the air quality as Gurugram fell in the 'Moderate' category with an AQI of 162 and Delhi Airport (T3) recorded 'poor' quality air with an AQI of 218.

As air quality improves, panel revokes Stage III of GRAP in Delhi-NCR

The sub-committee for taking actions to reduce air pollution under Graded Response Action Plan held a review meeting on Monday

Air quality panel revokes Stage III of GRAP as Delhi pollution eases

On Monday Punjab reported only four incidents of residue burning as against 2,175 reported on Sunday

Delhi air quality still in 'very poor' category; AQI recorded at 309

National Capital Region (NCR) continued to witness bad air as Noida, which is part of the national capital region, recorded an AQI of 344 in the 'very poor' category

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.

Delhi: Over 5,800 challans issued for violations under GRAP Stage III

Delhi Police has issued over 5,800 challans after the city government restricted the movement of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers, it said. The traffic police stopped or issued challans to 5,882 vehicles for violations till 6 am on Friday, it said. "As part of restrictions on BS III Petrol and BS IV Diesel vehicles till 13th November to fight pollution, 5882 Vehicles were stopped/challaned for violations till 6 AM on 11.11.2022. Emergency vehicles are exempted," it said in a tweet. During a recent review meeting, the Delhi government's transport department decided that the curbs under Stage III of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) should remain in place for the next few days instead of a no knee-jerk reaction. "BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi will remain banned under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan," Environment Minister Gopal Rai had said on Monday. In an order on Monday, the city government's transport department had said owners of

Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor', min temp settles at 12.6 deg C

Delhi's air quality on Saturday remained in the 'very poor' category with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 311 at 9 am, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. 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'. The AQI was 'very poor' in 27 of the 37 monitoring stations. The AQI was at 351 in Jahangirpuri, 347 in Nehru Nagar, 339 in Sri Aurobindo Marg, 335 in RK Puram and 334 in Bawana. The minimum temperature settled at 12.6 degrees, a notch below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The relative humidity was recorded at 76 per cent at 8.30 am, the IMD said. The weather department has forecast mainly clear skies during the day. The maximum temperature is expected to settle at 29 degrees Celsius. On Friday, the maximum temperature settled at 28.5 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's avera

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

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 .

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

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 pollution: AQI slides, still at 'lower end of very poor' category

A layer of smog stuck around Delhi's sky as the air quality in the national capital continue to remain in the 'very poor' category on Thursday morning with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 303

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

Delhi air quality continues to remain in 'very poor' category; AQI at 329

Pusa recorded an AQI of 342 while Dhirpur recorded an AQI of 320. Lodhi Road recorded 329, Delhi Airport (T3) recorded an AQI of 326 and Mathura road recorded an AQI of 332

Delhi's air quality worsens, AQI in 'very poor'; Wednesday to be severe

After slightly improving, the national capital's air quality again dipped into the "very poor" category as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city reached 339 on Tuesday evening