Delhi Pollution Highlights: Air quality ‘very poor’ at 398, schools in NCR shut

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday that the government is preparing to bring ‘artificial rain’ in the national capital to tackle with the worsening pollution situation, news agency PTI reported.

He said a meeting happened on Wednesday regarding the same where IIT Kanpur experts said they want the weather to be cloudy or there should be moisture in the air in order to proceed with the cloud seeding process.

A thick blanket of smog has enveloped the Taj Mahal in Agra. Tourists have expressed their dissatisfaction, noting that the monument is not clearly visible due to the pollution.

Agra's air quality was categorized as 'moderate' on Wednesday afternoon. The Air Quality Index (AQI) for Shahjahan Garden, which is located 2 kilometers from the Taj Mahal, registered at 114 at 11:00 am on Wednesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

However, this is not the first time that the pristine white marble mausoleum has been concealed by pollutants. The city's air quality has been consistently poor since November 4. Visitors to the monument appeared disappointed by the haze surrounding the Taj Mahal.

One tourist from Nagpur complained, “The Taj Mahal seemed to be covered in smoke and fog due to air pollution.” Another visitor commented, "The Taj Mahal is not clearly visible due to the thick, dense fog, and we are having difficulty walking because of the pollution."

(With inputs from ANI)

In a move to combat air pollution, the district administration of Hisar in Haryana issued a ban on burning garbage, leaves, plastic, rubber, and other flammable materials on Wednesday. District Magistrate Uttam Singh, in an official order, stated that the decision was prompted by the deterioration of air quality in Hisar due to adverse meteorological conditions during the pre-winter and winter season.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have underlined that the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement, taking place during COP28, is a key moment to boost collective ambition on climate action and support.

With 56 votes in favour, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted a resolution outlining its calls for action in view of the UN COP28 Climate Change Conference.

The resolution calls on developed countries, including the EU and its member states, to ensure that the annual climate finance goal of 100 billion USD is met in 2023 and to work on a post-2025 goal that would go beyond this amount.

It reiterates Parliament's request for a dedicated EU public finance mechanism to provide adequate support to meet the EU's climate finance commitments.

As air quality worsens in northern India, a dense smog shrouded the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, causing visibility issues for disappointed tourists. On Wednesday afternoon, Agra's air quality was classified as 'moderate.' The Air Quality Index (AQI) for Shahjahan Garden, located 2 kms from the Taj Mahal, registered 114 at 11:00 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Visitors expressed concerns as the pollution hindered a clear view of the monument, emphasizing the urgent need for measures to address the deteriorating air conditions in the region.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a petition seeking to allow Chhath Puja at the banks of the Yamuna river here.

Justice Subramonium Prasad said the ban is to prevent pollution in Yamuna.

Odd-even scheme to be implemented in national capital after SC reviews its effectiveness, announced Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday accused the Haryana government of being the “biggest culprit” behind pollution in Delhi. Earlier in the day, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said polluted air is not restricted by borders and stressed there should not be politics over the issue and that it is the collective responsibility of everyone to keep the environment clean.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday that there should not be politics over the issue and that it is the collective responsibility of everyone to keep the environment clean.

"There should be no politics. Unfortunately, a few people are doing politics over it, but they are not getting any benefit...," the chief minister said when asked by reporters in Pinjore on a Supreme Court bench on Tuesday taking a stern view of states trying to shift the blame on one another, and observing there cannot be a "political battle" all the time.

The 'Smog Tower' in Connaught Place has now been made operational as a measure to curb air pollution, reports ANI. The Supreme Court yesterday directed the government to repair the smog tower, as the air quality in Delhi continues to remain in the 'severe' category.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had claimed that Kumar, who assumed the role of DPCC chairperson in December, "stopped the release of funds to IIT-Bombay and other agencies working on the smog tower project without informing the government".

Delhi CM Kejriwal had inaugurated the smog tower at Connaught Place on August 23, 2021. The city government had formed a team of experts from IIT-Bombay to study its impact over two years.

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri met Claudius da Costa Gomez, CEO of the German Biogas Association, in Berlin on Wednesday and said they discussed the issue of stubble burning as Germany is a world leader in producing biogas from parali (stubble).

According to the Central Pollution Control Board data, Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index of 424 at 11am and the air quality continues to remain in the Severe category.

The prominent pollutants in the capital's air are PM2.5 and PM10. Punjabi Bagh area in West Delhi is currently the most polluted region with an AQI of 466. The most polluted areas in Delhi at 11am were Punjabi Bagh (466), Bawana (465), Jahangirpuri (461), Narela (458), Rohini (458) and Anand Vihar (454).

The minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 15.1 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, on Wednesday.

The relative humidity stood at 91% at 8:30 am, according to data by the India Meteorological Department.

On the Supreme Court's directions on pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said to ANI, "The Supreme Court has given its observations of what needs to be implemented in Delhi and we have called for a meeting with the concerned ministers and officers so that we can implement whatever instructions Delhi has got. The top court has given the order to end stubble burning in whichever state it has been happening..."

Cars used for medical emergencies, driven by women or persons with disabilities along with children up to 12 years may get exemptions from the Delhi government's proposed odd-even road rationing system, which will be re-enacted from November 13 to 20 in order to curb the deteriorating air quality in the national capital region. Read more

On the Supreme Court's directions on pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said to ANI, "...All the parties be it BJP, Congress or AAP everyone will have to try (to curb) it together. It is sad that BJP thinks that it is important to release a statement..."

Several cities across the North India reported severe air quality. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (382), Gurugram (370), Noida (348), Greater Noida (474), and Faridabad (396) reported hazardous air quality on Wednesday.

According to data from the Decision Support System, a numerical model-based framework identifying sources of particulate matter pollution in the national capital, stubble burning in neighbouring states, like Punjab and Haryana, accounted for 37 percent of the air pollution in Delhi on Tuesday. It is likely to be 33 percent on Wednesday.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai calls urgent meeting to discuss implementation of Supreme Court observations on odd-even car rationing scheme.

A thick toxic haze or 'smog' continued to hang heavy over Delhi as the air quality remained in the 'severe' category on Wednesday. According to the data shared by the CPCB, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Anand Vihar was recorded at 452, while it was at 433, 460, 382, and 413 at RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, Sri Aurobindo Marg and Shadipur, all in the 'severe' category.

The city woke up to shallow fog with mist in the morning and the general visibility was at 800 m at 8am, according the India Meteorological Department. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 395 (very poor) at 4 pm on Tuesday and a downward trend has been observed overnight and the general visibility on Tuesday morning was around 1100m. As per the IMD report, the city woke up to shallow fog in the morning and the sky will become further partially clear towards towards afternoon and evening. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 31 and 16 degrees Celsius respectively.

After little respite in smog conditions earlier this week, the situation has again turned red for Delhi-NCR region with AQI touching 999 in Anand Vihar.

IIT Kanpur, which was working on cloud seeding technology, said it has its own aircraft for the purpose and is fitted with flares that are needed to form such artificial rains.

Manindra Aggarwal, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur and leader of the project, said, “And it was also approved by DGCA. Through this, we can do cloud seeding anywhere. As far as the Delhi government is concerned, we have received some phone calls from the Delhi government."