Delhi-NCR air quality improves to 'poor', bringing relief after weeks

The air quality in Delhi-NCR is expected to remain in the 'moderate' and 'poor' categories for the next two days.

Air quality in Delhi and nearby areas improved on Monday due to strong winds but continued to remain in the "poor" category.

The relief for Delhi-NCR came after strong winds due to western disturbance helped disperse pollutants in the region and other parts of north India.

The air quality in Delhi-NCR is expected to remain in the "moderate" and "poor" categories for the next two days.

At 6:30 am, Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 211, which falls in the "poor" category. The AQI in the national capital on Sunday stood at 215.

An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 severe".

The concentration of particlate matter (PM) 2.5 was at 94 while the PM10 level was recorded at 170.

The weatherman has forecast strong surface winds during daytime on Monday with the maximum temperature touching 27 degrees Celsius and minimum of 15 degrees Celsius.

The AQI in Faridabad was 197 (moderate), Ghaziabad 218 (poor), Greater Noida 202 (poor), Noida 203 (poor) and Gurgaon 136 (moderate).

Delhi was blanketed with a thick smog for four consecutive days till Friday as unfavourable weather hampered dispersion of pollutants.

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Delhi-NCR continues to breathe toxic air, pollution nears 'emergency' zone

In NCR, Ghaziabad (467), Greater Noida (462), Gurgaon (447), Faridabad (446) and Noida (470) also reeled under the toxic smog.

Business Standard : The air quality in Delhi-NCR stayed in "extreme" classification on Friday morning as habitual pettiness proceeded betweeen ideological groups for the emergency.

The air quality list (AQI) in the national capital read 482 at 6:30 am with particulate issue (PM) 2.5 levels at 332 and PM 10 levels at 504 at 6:30 am on Friday.

In any case, wind speed is anticipated to get on Saturday and a progressive decrease in contamination is likely from that point.

In NCR, Ghaziabad (467), Greater Noida (462), Gurgaon (447), Faridabad (446) and Noida (470) likewise reeled under the harmful exhaust cloud.

An AQI somewhere in the range of 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301-400 'extremely poor' and 401-500 'serious'.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and EPCA are probably going to survey the circumstance on Friday.

Additionally, the Delhi government didn't take any choice on Thursday on expanding the odd-even street proportioning plan, which enters its last day on Friday.

In the mean time, political habitual pettiness proceeded over the circumstance in Delhi and close by areas with the AAP hitting out at the Center for not taking "solid strides" to handle the danger in spite of the zenith court's bearings in such manner.

Senior AAP pioneer Sanjay Singh affirmed that the BJP is attempting to "politicize" a delicate issue.

Ghaziabad: Two development organizations fined

The Ghaziabad area organization has forced robust fines on two development organizations for damaging air contamination control standards.

Area Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said a fine of Rs 1.01 crore was forced on APCO organization which was associated with development of a street close to the dike of Hindon stream in Indirapuram. So also, a fine of Rs 1.01 crore was forced on Apex organization in Siddhartha Vihar settlement, Pandey said.

Over the most recent 10 days, 267 individuals were seen as blameworthy of expanding contamination by consuming trash and e-squander.

Delhi's air quality dips to 'severe' levels, likely to worsen on Wednesday

The air quality monitor predicted the pollution levels in Delhi-NCR are expected to enter the "severe-plus" or "emergency" category today.

After slight relief, Delhi and its suburbs have again been engulfed in thick blanket of smog as fall in the temperature and wind speed pushed the city's air quality in the "severe" zone.

Delhi's overall air quality index (AQI) fell to 467 at 6:30 am from 425 on Tuesday evening, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

The PM 2.5 stood at 317 while the PM10 was recorded at 451.

The air quality monitor also predicted the pollution levels in Delhi-NCR are expected to enter the "severe plus" or "emergency" category today.

Meteorologists said the national capital recorded on Tuesday morning a minimum temperature of 11.7 degrees Celsius, the season's lowest so far. It is two notches below normal for this time of the year.

Most of the 37 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi recorded air quality in the severe category on Tuesday.

Faridabad (413), Gurgaon (511), Ghaziabad (461), and Noida (572) also choked on extremely polluted air.

An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe'. An AQI above 500 falls in the 'severe plus' category.

According to SAFAR, the share of stubble-burning accounted for 25 per cent of Delhi's pollution on Tuesday, up from 18 per cent on Monday.

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Delhi continues to struggle for clean air as AQI slips to 'very poor'

The city recorded a decline in the pollution levels on Saturday and Sunday with the air quality moving from the 'very poor' to 'poor' category owing to favourable wind speed.

Business Standard : Pollution in New Delhi on Monday morning fell to "very poor" after being "poor" as the air quality index (AQI) slipped to 346 at 7:00 am, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

The AQI in adjoining areas of Noida, Gurgaon was registered at 315 and 355 respectively.

An AQI between 201 and 300 is 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe'.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe. Above 500 is severe-plus emergency category.

Air quality in the city improved from "very poor" to "poor" on Saturday and Sunday because of wind speed.

It was a cold breezy Monday morning with the minimum temperature settling at 16 degrees Celsius.

Humidity was recorded at 66 per cent.

On Sunday, the maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 28 degrees Celsius and 16 degrees Celsius respectively.

Meanwhile, acting on a slew of directions from the Supreme Court, implementing agencies have taken "major action" at 13 pollution hot spots in the national capital, including closing 23 polluting industrial units, over the last three days, officials said on Sunday.

Municipal corporations have lifted 400 metric tonnes of construction and demolition waste and 1,200 metric tonne garbage during the period, they said.

After the apex court directed a three-member Monitoring Committee to oversee the implementation of pollution-control measures, its chairman Bhure Lal visited the hotspots of Wazirpur, Ashok Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Dwarka and R.K.Puram on November 8 and Narela, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, and Mundka on November 9, according to the officials.

Air pollution: Best air purifiers and masks that can help you breathe easy

Business Standard lists five anti-pollution gears that may be most efficient during poor and hazardous air quality in your city.

With most of India — capital New Delhi in particular — struggling to breathe because of hazardous air quality, people are forced to look at measures to prevent illness. Some of the most important things to do is getting good air purifiers and pollution filter masks. These come in different shapes and sizes, each with its own qualities and benefits. Which one should you go for? Business Standard lists five best anti-pollution gears to help you make a more informed choice:

Dyson Pure Hot+Cool air purifier (Rs 54,900)

This tower-shaped air purifier is a successor to the Dyson Pure Cool air purifier (review). As the name suggests, it is designed to work in all weather conditions. Like its predecessor, the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool does not look, work or perform in the same way as other air purifier in the market. Designed for indoor use — the living room, bedroom or large lobby areas — this air purifier has inbuilt sensors that detect pollutants, such as PM 2.5 and PM 10, and volatile organic compounds, such as benzene and formaldehyde, that are emitted from paints, burning of candles and materials in furniture, and nitrogen. It cleans the air based on the readings of its sensors. This air purifier has inbuilt Wi-Fi that makes it easy to connect with Android and iOS devices. With the help of the Dyson link app, you can fetch the air quality reading from the air purifier in real time. The app also shows the filters’ health and notifies when they need to be cleaned or replaced.

Honeywell Air Touch i9 (Rs 18,900)

This air purifier makes a good choice for moderate rooms of around 350 sq ft size. It has a minimalist design that makes it a good fit in contemporary living spaces. The air purifier has a three-level filteration process — a pre-filter for cleaning the air of large particulate matter, such as PM 10; a HEPA filter to bring down the PM 2.5 level and other particulate matter of up to 0.3 microns in size; and a HiSi filter that absorbs smoke and toxic gasses. The most likeable feature of this unit is its top panel. It operates with a light touch and is simple to understand. The touch panel has a PM 2.5 indicator, three modes for adjusting the fan speed, a night mode to turn the panel light off and a power button.

Samsung AX5500 (Rs 34,999)

This air purifier is a silent operator that does its job without making too much noise. The air purifier comes with a standard netted pre-filter and a two-in-one carbon and HEPA filter. According to the company, this air purifier is capable of servicing up to 645 sq ft — the size of a large living room.

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Delhi pollution: Odd-even scheme starts as AQI hits 708, schools shut

In the National Capital Region (NCR), Noida (720) and Gurugram (833), also breathed extremely polluted air.

Even as India's capital city scrambles to tackle its epic air pollution problems, there seems to be no end to the woes of people residing in Delhi and its adjoining areas. On Monday morning, Delhi air quality was in 'severe-plus emergency' category. SAFAR, the government-run monitoring agency, said Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was 708 at 6:30 am. Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad too recorded severe-plus emergency overall air quality.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe. Above 500 is severe-plus emergency category.

The odd-even scheme and road space rationing scheme kickstarted today, with only even-numbered non-transport vehicles allowed on Delhi roads on the first day of the exercise. The impact of the scheme is yet to be seen.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), Noida (720) and Gurugram (833), also breathed extremely polluted air.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR, said the city's overall AQI reached as high as 708 around 5 pm, which is 14 times the safe level of 0-50.

ALSO READ: Delhi air pollution: 19 flights cancelled, over 550 delayed and 37 diverted

On Sunday, low visibility due to heavy smog disrupted flight operations at the Delhi airport, with 37 flights diverted to other airports and more than 250 departures and 300 arrivals delayed, officials said.

NASA satellite imagery showed vast swathes of the northern plains, covering Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, blanketed under a smoky haze.

Weather experts said any significant improvement in the situation is highly unlikely unless there is rainfall, which may occur on November 7 and 8 under the influence of Cyclone Maha and a western disturbance.

Business Standard

Delhi chokes as pollution levels remain 'severe' for second straight day

On Wednesday morning, the Delhi air quality index was 422 -- a little worse than Tuesday's AQI of 414 at 8 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

Delhi air pollution: There is no respite from severe air pollution in Delhi as air quality remained in the "severe" category on Wednesday morning. The air quality was similar to what it was on Tuesday, the day it slipped into the "severe" category in the city and the adjoining areas.

At 6 am, the city's overall air quality index (AQI) was 422 -- a little worse than Tuesday's AQI of 414 at 8 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe. Above 500 is severe-plus emergency category.

Delhi's air quality took a hit after Diwali night due to a combination of firecracker emissions, stubble burning and unfavourable meteorological conditions.

Since then, pollution levels have been oscillating between the lower end and the higher end of the very poor category.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on on Tuesday appealed "with folded hands" to Punjab and Haryana to take concrete steps against stubble burning to prevent the national capital from becoming a "gas chamber".

His statement came after latest NASA images showed a drastic spurt in crop residue burning in the neighbouring states. The stubble plume from north-west regions has become one of the significant factors adversely affecting Delhi's air quality.

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Healthier air quality in car-free stretch of Karol Bagh: CSE study

The street has been marked with yellow and white stripes demarcating space for hawkers.

Business Standard : A localised study conducted on a car-free stretch of the Ajmal Khan Road in the bustling Karol Bagh market has shown a considerable improvement in air quality.

The Centre for Science and Environment's Anumita Roychowdhury, who conducted the study, said she compared air quality data collected from the traffic-choked Arya Samaj Road, which cuts through the Ajmal Khan Road, with that from the recently pedestrianised 600-metre stretch.

"We monitored roadside exposure to air pollution, which is different from ambient air quality, on the Arya Samaj Road during heavy traffic. We then moved to the car-free zone of the Ajmal Khan Road and collected the data," she said.

Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at CSE, found that while the average "PM2.5 concentration on the Arya Samaj Road is 63.6 micrograms per cubic metre, it is 47.7 micrograms per cubic metre on the Ajmal Khan Road".

The short-term spike of PM2.5 on the Arya Samaj Road could hit 105.4 micrograms per cum 42.8 per cent higher than the highest short-term spike in the pedestrian area, she said.

Not only this, the pedestrian traffic on the road has increased significantly. The number of pedestrians per five minutes on the Ajmal Khan Road was 2.7 times the number on the Arya Samaj Road, she said.

Buoyed by the response from people, the the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) , which carried out the pilot project on decongestion in Karol Bagh, now plans to expand the scheme to other areas to promote use of public transport and make market areas more pedestrian-friendly.

"After seeing the response at Karol Bagh, we are now planning to do similar projects in Kirti Nagar and Kamla Nagar market areas. World over, from London to Shanghai, pedestrianisation of market areas have enhanced shoppers' experience, and we also want people of Delhi to feel that comfort," NDMC Commissioner Varsha Joshi had told PTI earlier.

The street has been marked with yellow and white stripes demarcating space for hawkers. Besides, bollards have been put at the entry points of Ajmal Khan Road on Pusa Road and Arya Samaj Road to restrict entry of vehicles to the road.

Vehicles seem to be 'bigger' contributor to pollution than firecrackers: SC

The Supreme Court also asked the Centre if there could be any comparative study to see pollution caused by both.

The Supreme Court Tuesday said why people were "running after" firecracker industries when it seems that automobiles were "bigger" contributor to pollution, and asked the Centre whether there was any comparative study on pollution caused by both.

While expressing serious concern over loss of jobs of people involved in manufacture and sale of firecrackers, a bench of Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer said, "We do not wish to generate unemployment."

"Is there any comparative study on what proportion of pollution is caused by firecrackers and what proportion is caused by automobiles? It seems you are running after firecrackers, but bigger pollution contributor is perhaps vehicles," the bench told Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, who was appearing for the Centre.

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The top court said, "You must tell us some way of preventing unemployment also. We cannot have people unemployed and hungry. There are areas where firecrackers can be used."

"We cannot give them (those who have lost jobs) money. We cannot support their families.

Unemployment is there," the bench said.

The bench also raised a question as to how manufacture of firecrackers could be stopped if the trade is legal and people have licence to carry out the business.

"Nobody has tested this in relation to Article 19 (which says all citizens shall have the right to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business). If the trade is legal and you have the licence for this, then how can you stop this? How can you leave people unemployed?" the bench observed.

The court was hearing a plea which has sought a complete ban on use of firecrackers across the country on the ground that it gives rise to pollution.

The apex court had last year said people in the country can burst firecrackers only from 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali and other festivals, and had allowed the manufacture and sale of only "green crackers" which have low emission of light, sound and harmful chemicals.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the ASG told the bench that the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and other expert agencies were experimenting and they have come up with composition of "green crackers".

Regarding the use of barium nitrate, which was earlier banned by the apex court, Nadkarni said, "Barium was banned in firecrackers by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Supreme Court also banned it.