air quality

November 20, 2024 11:26 AM

Delhi struggles to breathe as marginal AQI improvement offers little relief

Delhi's air remained hazardous on Wednesday, with a slight improvement in air quality bringing little respite to residents as cases of respiratory distress continued to rise across the national capital. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 424 at 9 a.m., classified as 'severe.' This follows two consecutive days of 'severe plus' air quality, leaving the city's air virtually unbreathable. Visuals from India Gate showed residents navigating thr...

November 14, 2024 11:03 AM

Delhi’s air quality plummets as dense smog pushes AQI to ‘severe’ level

Delhi's air quality plunged further on Thursday as dense smog enveloped the city, reducing visibility across several areas and pushing the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) to a 'severe' level of 428 at 8 a.m. Several areas reported even higher pollution levels, with Anand Vihar recording an AQI of 470, Ashok Vihar at 469, and Rohini at 451, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). However, operations at New Delhi's international airport were not affected by the smog, which weath...

November 11, 2024 11:45 AM

Surge in respiratory cases as Delhi’s air quality stays ‘very poor’

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category on Monday morning, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 349 recorded as of 9 a.m., according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)-India. The AQI level at Aurobindo Marg stood at 206, 358 at Alipur, 385 at Anand Vihar, 356 at Burari Crossing, 367 at Dwarka-Sector 8, 338 at IGI Airport-T3, 307 at Lodhi Road, 382 at Mundka, 357 at Najafgarh, and 371 at RK Puram. Additionally, the Central Pollution Control B...

October 27, 2024 9:56 AM

Delhi’s air quality worsens, residents say “feels suffocating”

Air pollution levels worsened across the national capital on Sunday, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) soared to 352, a ‘very poor’ rating, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). This marked a substantial increase from Saturday’s AQI of 255, which was categorized as ‘poor.’ In some areas, the situation was even more severe. Anand Vihar recorded an alarming AQI of 405 at 7 AM, classified as ‘severe’ and higher than the previous day’s rea...

October 21, 2024 12:24 PM

Air Quality in Delhi drops to ‘Very Poor’ level

The air quality in Delhi worsened on Monday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 349 at 8 a.m., categorized as 'very poor.' Shakurpur recorded an AQI of 346, India Gate recorded 309, and the AQI at Safdarjung stood at 307, all classified under the 'very poor' category. In addition to the worsening air quality, the condition of the Yamuna river further deteriorated, with toxic foam floating on its surface. Environmental activist Vimlendu K. Jha attributed the river's poor condition to the...

October 4, 2024 12:18 AM

No effort being made by CAQM to implement its own directions on air pollution: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction with the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for failing to enforce its own directives aimed at curbing air pollution, particularly in light of the approaching stubble burning season. "From the affidavit of compliance we find that no effort is being made by CAQM for implementation of its directions, not a single prosecution has been initiated and the last meeting was only held on August 29," said the Supreme Court. The court has directed the...

April 24, 2024 4:42 PM

EU Parliament adopts new rules to improve air quality by 2030

The European Parliament adopted stricter legally-binding air pollution limits on Wednesday that must be complied with by 2030. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The World Health Organization (WHO) tightened its air quality guidelines last year, hoping to push countries toward clean energy and prevent deaths caused by dirty air. Air pollution causes 300,000 premature deaths in Europe each year. EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius said the tougher EU rules could reduce that number by 70% over t...