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PremiumDelhi, NCR Air Pollution Highlights: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the Odd-Even scheme in Delhi from Nov 13-Nov 20 to curb pollution.
The overall air quality in Delhi continued to remain in the 'critical' category on Monday morning, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)-India.
Pollution levels in Delhi have remained in the ‘critical’ category for the past few days recording AQI in the ‘400’ range at several locations in and around Delhi.
On Monday morning overall average AQI of 471 was recorded, as per SAFAR.
Under the final stage of the pollution control plan, the state government announced a ‘work from home’ policy for 50% of government staff till the next orders.
According to data Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed Delhi's air quality index increased by over 200 points since October 27. The worst air quality was recorded on November 3 since the previous high of 471 was recorded on November 12, 2021, which has since been improving with relatively better wind speed. However, thick toxic haze continues to blanket the national capital on the sixth consecutive day. Stay tuned for Delhi, NCR Air Pollution LIVE News Updates.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai addressed a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav urging that only CNG, electric and BS VI-compliant vehicles be permitted in Delhi-NCR in view of the worsening air quality ahead of Diwali and expectations of further deterioration.
Amid concerns of rising air pollution in the city, there has been a “rising" farm fires, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, on Monday, said that most stubble burning incidents are being witnessed in BJP-ruled Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
He claimed that such cases have declines in Punjab during AAP government's tenure. Reduction in stubble burning was the result of crop residue management machinery to paddy growers to check stubble burning incidents in the state.
IndiGo CEO, Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer of IndiGo, one of India's largest carriers, on Monday, addressed the crew and staff amid deteriorating air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
The CEO told the staff about the implications of the poor air quality in context of aviation.
According to a recent survey around 32% of families in Delhi-NCR are planning to burst firecrackers during Diwali, while 43% cited concerns about the air pollution in the national capital as the reason for not doing so. (Read more)
Schools in Delhi have been directed to suspend their physical classes till Novemberr 10. Only classes 10 and 12 will continue as it is.
A toxic haze persisted over Delhi-NCR for the seventh consecutive day on Monday as the national capital recorded a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 421, a marginal improvement from 454 a day before.
Citizens have to choose between a disease-free environment and bursting firecrackers during Diwali, the Bombay High Court ruled on Monday. The court ordered a time limit for the day, allowing fireworks between 7 pm and 10 pm.
Severe air pollution is not just a Delhi problem and states like Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are dealing with the menace. The thick layer of smog engulfed Agra, leaving tourists disappointed as they were unable to see the iconic Taj Mahal properly.
Punjab reported 2,060 cases of farm fires on Monday. Amid continous stubble burning cases, Haryana witnessed poor air quality. Its AI continued to remain in 'severe' and 'very poor' categories while it was 'poor' in areas of the border state.
As farmers continued to set crop residue ablaze, 2,060 fresh stubble-burning incidents were recorded in Punjab, taking the total number of such cases to 19,463 till Monday, according to Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi formed a committee to monitor the work being done under its Winter Action Plan to curb severe air pollution in the city, officials said on Monday.
"The MCD has directed the implementation of restrictions under GRAP-IV across its 12 zones. We have set up a monitoring team which will look after the work being done by the surveillance teams on the ground," Mayor Shelly Oberoi said in a press conference.
In the wake of rising air pollutions, all schools in Delhi have been directed to suspend physical classes, except for classes 10 and 12, until November 10, announced Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday.
Amid rising air pollution in the city, several residents and welfare associations have opposed the implementation of odd-even rule in Delhi. Many other people demanded a complete lockdown to combat the rising air pollution. A network of 2500 RWAs, URJA, called the move a "political gimmick" and said that it does not have a bearing on improving the pollution.
As part of early mitigation of the menace of pollution, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) has started sprinkling water at 13 hotspots to curb rising air pollution in the city, officials said on Monday.
The identified pollution hotspots are Narela, Bawana, Mundka, Wazirpur, Rohini, RK Puram, Okhla, Jahangirpuri, Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Mayapuri and Dwarka, DFS Director Atul Garg told PTI.
Over 2,200 vehicles faces fines in Delhi after the implementation of stricter curbs to control air pollution. The fines were imposed in the view of increasing air pollution and deteriorating air quality level here, officials told PTI.
Plying old diesel/petrol vehicles and trucks, carrying non-essential material, in the national capital attracts a challan of ₹20,000 under the Motor Vehicle Act.
Amid severe rise in pollution in the city, Delhi LG VK Saxena paid an inpection visit to the streets on Monday. He took a stock of the pollution mitigating measures being undertaken by the various departments, agencies and civic bodies in the metropolis.
He inspected the pavements, footpaths, central verges and the yards of the Power Plant and Millennium Bus Depot, which are believed to be among the main contributors to surging air pollution in the national capital.
Amid severe air pollution in the city, cricket teams of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka continued to play their match on the ground. There are speculations that the match will be cancelled by the ICC due to severe air pollution.
Delhi Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, said that a meeting will be called on Tuesday to discuss further about the implementation of the Odd-Even scheme in Delhi. "There are over 7,000 buses running in Delhi, out of which 1,000 are electric. The frequency of buses and metros has also increased. To reduce vehicular pollution, an odd-even scheme has been started," he said.
A significant increase in farm fires was shown by the NASA Worldview portal during the weekend (November 4 and 5). Farm fires in Punjab are one of the biggest reasons behind aggravated air quality in the national capital Delhi.
Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered one of the major reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in October and November every year, according to environmentalists. Read the story here.
On pollution in Delhi, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, “This is not the first time that this problem has arisen... Promises are being made every year... Earlier, there was a Congress government in Punjab, so you used to make allegations... Now there is your government... Today, when people in Delhi are compelled to get suffocated, you are going to do a meeting... The central government is busy with election campaigning. BJP and AAP are responsible for the pain that people in Delhi and nearby areas are facing." (ANI)
A farmer Gurnaib Singh said, “Burning stubble is not my hobby, but I am helpless. The government should find a solution to this. We do not want to burn stubble but we are helpless... The government has not been successful in tackling the issue of stubble burning...Our children and family also stay here, and they are at risk too but we cannot do anything, we are helpless." (ANI)
The minimum temperature in the city settled below the season's average at 13.5 degrees Celsius on Monday.
The relative humidity at 8.30 am stood at 98 per cent.
The weather office has forecast a mainly clear sky for the day with the maximum temperature expected to settle at 31 degrees Celsius.
The air quality in several parts of the city continued to be in the severe and severe plus category.
The air quality index (AQI) stood at 437 at 9.05 am. The AQI at Shadipur, ITO, Siri Fort, RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, Delhi University stations was recorded at 438, 400, 430, 462, 469 and 454 respectively. (PTI)
The overall air quality in the National Capital continues to be in the 'severe' category' for the fifth straight day, as per the Central Pollution Control Board.
According to the data issued by the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR-India), the air quality in the National Capital was recorded at 488, up from 410 a day ago.
Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has called a meeting of all concerned departments today in view of the increasing pollution, his office said in a brief statement. (ANI)
As the air quality continues to deteriorate in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called a high-level meeting today, officials said.
"Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called a high-level meeting on the issue of increasing pollution," the official said.
This meeting will be held in Delhi Secretariat at 12 noon.
Officials further informed that Delhi's Environment Minister and officials of all concerned departments will attend the meeting. (ANI)
A morning walker, Deepak Kumar, said, “We will have to do something to control pollution... If this keeps on increasing, the lives of people will be reduced by 12 to 14 years... To reduce this, diesel vehicles are already banned. Some other actions should also be taken. Stubble burning is increasing. This is not a mistake of farmers... The government will have to do something about it. There is difficulty in breathing and itching in the eyes."
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday decided to invoke Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) with immediate effect to prevent further deterioration of air quality.
The Air Quality Commission said that Stage IV will be implemented in addition to the restrictions placed under Stage I to III.
"Keeping in view the prevailing trend of air quality and in an effort to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the region, the Sub-Committee today has taken the call to invoke all actions as envisaged under Stage-IV of GRAP 'Severe ' Air Quality (Delhi's AQI > 450), with immediate effect in the entire NCR. This is in addition to the preventive and restrictive actions mentioned under Stage 1, Stage II, and Stage III of GRAP," an official notification issued by CAQM read. (ANI)
Pollution levels in Delhi-NCR on Monday morning were recorded around seven to eight times above the government-prescribed safe limit, as a toxic haze persisted over the region for the seventh consecutive day.
Stringent curbs, including a ban on entry of polluting trucks, came into effect in Delhi on Sunday as its air quality entered the 'severe plus' category for the second time in three days due to unfavourable wind conditions and a sharp rise in farm fires across north India.
GRAP categorises actions into four stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI 450). The city's AQI stood at 440 at 7 am on Monday. (PTI)
The overall air quality in Delhi continued to remain in the 'critical' category on Monday morning, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)-India.
As per SAFAR data at 7 a.m., the overall air quality in the national capital Delhi (Overall) stood in the 'critical' category with an AQI of 471.
AQI in Delhi University recorded an AQI of 473, while the airport at Terminal 3 noted an AQI of 559, Noida at 616, IIT Delhi at 517, and Gurugram at 516, all in the 'critical' range, as per SAFAR data at 7 am.
Areas like Pusa and Lodhi Road recorded AQI levels of 407 and 450, respectively, both categorized as ‘severe’ category. As per Central Pollution Control Board data, AQI recorded at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium was 409. Read the complete story here.
A top officer of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EF&CC) department in Uttar Pradesh has expressed dissatisfaction with the inadequate anti-pollution measures in Noida and Greater Noida, and asked the local administration and authorities to ramp up efforts, sources said.
According to an official statement released after Singh held review meetings with Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M, Greater Noida CEO Ravi Kumar NG and District Magistrate Manish Kumer Verma, the top officer has asked them to ensure that there is no dust on the roads and no burning of garbage in the open.
"In the review meeting, the Additional Chief Secretary gave instructions to immediately clean the dust on the roadside, sprinkle water on construction sites and plant green grass on the roadside to prevent pollution. He also asked for large-scale plantation and no cutting of grass," the statement said. (PTI)
No relief is likely on Monday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast no rainfall in the city which could improve the AQI by forcing down air pollutants.
According to the IMD, there will be shallow fog on Monday morning and the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 31 and 15 degrees Celsius. (PTI)
With the onset of peak stubble-burning season in northwest India, there has been an uptick in cases of farm fires in Punjab and Haryana. Excessive smoke produced from rampant paddy straw burning has led to a massive decline in air quality in regions of Delhi-NCR, Punjab, and Haryana.
In response to severe air pollution, the centre implemented the final phase of the pollution control policy (GRAP 4) in Delhi on Sunday. For better implementation of GRAP 4, the state government imposed a ban on the entry of polluting trucks, BS 4 vehicles, etc. These measures are likely to bring some relief in the coming days. However, the situation of air pollution is likely to remain the same in the city till November 15. Notably, the period from Nov 1 to Nov 15 is the peak season of paddy harvesting and farm fires. Read the complete story here.
PM2.5, which consists of fine particulate matter capable of infiltrating the respiratory system and causing health issues, was found to exceed the government-mandated safe threshold of 60 micrograms per cubic meter by a factor of seven to eight in various locations across Delhi-NCR.
Additionally, it was recorded at levels 30 to 40 times higher than the recommended limit of 15 micrograms per cubic meter established by the World Health Organization (WHO). (PTI)
Air quality across Delhi continues to be in the 'Severe' category as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
AQI in RK Puram at 466, in ITO at 402, in Patparganj at 471 and in New Moti Bagh at 488. (ANI)
As air quality continues to remain severe in Delhi-NCR, doctors and health experts explained the hazardous impact of air pollution on the overall health of the human body.
Dr Piyush Ranjan (Additional Professor, Department of Medicine, AIIMS), while speaking to ANI, said that there is scientific evidence that establishes a relationship between air pollution and different types of cancer.
He also said that apart from causing harm to the respiratory system, air pollution has direct relations with coronary artery diseases like heart attack, brain stroke, and arthritis.
"It is important to understand that air pollution affects various systems of the body, apart from causing respiratory diseases. Pollution has direct relations with coronary artery diseases like heart attack, brain stroke, and arthritis. We have scientific evidence that establishes its relationship with different types of cancer," the AIIMS doctor said. (ANI)
Delhi's steadily worsening air quality has prompted concern about the upcoming Bangladesh-Sri Lanka World Cup match. The face-off is slated to take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday afternoon. But as asthmatic players skip practice and the Central government enforces GRAP 4 restrictions, the smog-shrouded Delhi air has become a key concern. (Read more)
The four different categories of GRAP are as follows:
Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI >450).
A top officer of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EF&CC) department in Uttar Pradesh expressed dissatisfaction with the inadequate anti-pollution measures in Noida and Greater Noida, and asked the local administration and authorities to ramp up efforts, sources told news agency PTI.
With the onset of peak stubble-burning season in northwest India, there has been an uptick in cases of farm fires in Punjab and Haryana. Excessive smoke produced from rampant paddy straw burning has led to a massive decline in air quality in regions of Delhi-NCR, Punjab, and Haryana. (Read more)
