<p>The national capital is witnessing public health emergency with hundreds of patients having respiratory problems being shifted to intensive care units (ICUs) by their pulmonologists because of the worsening air quality in the city, including the general wards of the hospital.</p>

<p>On Sunday, Delhi witnessed thick smog with Air Quality Index (AQI) touching the peak levels and reaching the hazardous category.</p>

<p>ANI took the ground report from different hospitals across the city and spoke to doctors which revealed that ICUs at most places were running overbooked and patients were being put on ventilation.</p>

<p>Previously, patients with existing respiratory illnesses were managed with medicines and nebulisers, however, the deteriorating air quality has worsened the situation and most patients need ICU admissions.</p>

<p>Weather forecasts say the situation is not likely to improve in the next few days.</p>

<p>Dr Arvind Kumar, Chairman of Chest Surgery Department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital told ANI: "On Saturday, we received a patient in casualty with severe respiratory distress. We gave him nebuliser and then also his condition did not improve. We also shifted him to the respiratory division ward but there was still no relief. Lately, we shifted him to the ICU and put him on the ventilator. So, this is the situation of air quality in Delhi and we all are gasping to breathe."</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has revealed that post-festival celebrations, patients with respiratory complications have increased by five folds in the OPD.</p>

<p>These include- children, pregnant women, elderly and patients with pre-existing diseases. Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS said that present air quality is equivalent to inhaling the smoke of at least 50 cigarettes a day and is very dangerous for children.</p>

<p>Dr Vikas Maurya who is head of the pulmonary department at Fortis Hospital said, "Patients in ICU have shot up by at least three folds. We have admitted a lot of patients in ICU who could not be managed in the general ward. People with pre-existing respiratory diseases are at major risk. Children, the elderly, pregnant mother are more vulnerable. If this crisis of air pollution continues, ICU beds will fall short in some days. We need solid management by the government to tackle air pollution. This is a deadly situation."</p>

<p>At BLK hospital, OPD has increased by 300 per cent and patients in wards have doubled post the Diwali celebration period, said Dr Vikas Maurya, head of Respiratory medicine department.</p>

<p>"Even normal individuals have become patients now. I don`t know what to say to patients suffering from respiratory distress. Some of them are shifted to ICU and are using BiPAP machines (sometimes prescribed for patients with high-pressure settings and low oxygen levels). We are advising patients to go out of Delhi those who can afford. But this is not the solution. As a doctor, I feel very helpless to see my patients who were doing better and now gasping for breath", he said.</p>

<p>At Gurugram, the situation is not any better and more and more patients are coming to the hospital with air pollution-related issues.</p>

<p>"The worsening pollution is surely taking a toll on the patients and the public at large. New patients (previously healthy) are reporting with cough, breathlessness, nausea decreased appetite and depression symptoms. The increase of these patients has been 30 per cent from the baseline", said Dr Himanshu Garg, Head of Department of Respiratory Medicine at W Pratiksha Hospital, Gurgaon.</p>

<p>He also stated that the patients of pre-existing Respiratory disorders are having a tough time surviving this weather.</p>

<p>"Many of them have been admitted mostly in the ICUs and could not be saved. About 50 per cent of patients are experiencing a flare-up of symptoms with 20 per cent have severe problems", Garg said.</p>

<p>Notably, for the first time in this season, the Air Quality Index (AQI) docked as high as 625 at 10 in the morning despite light drizzles in the early hours. 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".</p>

<p>Above 500 is "severe-plus emergency" category.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The national capital is witnessing public health emergency with hundreds of patients having respiratory problems being shifted to intensive care units (ICUs) by their pulmonologists because of the worsening air quality in the city, including the general wards of the hospital.

The national capital is witnessing public health emergency with hundreds of patients having respiratory problems being shifted to intensive care units (ICUs) by their pulmonologists because of the worsening air quality in the city, including the general wards of the hospital. On Sunday, Delhi witnessed thick smog with Air Quality Index (AQI) touching the peak levels and reaching the hazardous category. ANI took the ground report from different hospitals across the city and spoke to doctors which revealed that ICUs at most places were running overbooked and patients were being put on ventilation. Previously, patients with existing respiratory illnesses were managed with medicines and nebulisers, however, the deteriorating air quality has worsened the situation and most patients need ICU admissions. Weather forecasts say the situation is not likely to improve in the next few days. Dr Arvind Kumar, Chairman of Chest Surgery Department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital told ANI: "On Saturday, we received a patient in casualty with severe respiratory distress. We gave him nebuliser and then also his condition did not improve. We also shifted him to the respiratory division ward but there was still no relief. Lately, we shifted him to the ICU and put him on the ventilator. So, this is the situation of air quality in Delhi and we all are gasping to breathe." Meanwhile, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has revealed that post-festival celebrations, patients with respiratory complications have increased by five folds in the OPD. These include- children, pregnant women, elderly and patients with pre-existing diseases. Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS said that present air quality is equivalent to inhaling the smoke of at least 50 cigarettes a day and is very dangerous for children. Dr Vikas Maurya who is head of the pulmonary department at Fortis Hospital said, "Patients in ICU have shot up by at least three folds. We have admitted a lot of patients in ICU who could not be managed in the general ward. People with pre-existing respiratory diseases are at major risk. Children, the elderly, pregnant mother are more vulnerable. If this crisis of air pollution continues, ICU beds will fall short in some days. We need solid management by the government to tackle air pollution. This is a deadly situation." At BLK hospital, OPD has increased by 300 per cent and patients in wards have doubled post the Diwali celebration period, said Dr Vikas Maurya, head of Respiratory medicine department. "Even normal individuals have become patients now. I don`t know what to say to patients suffering from respiratory distress. Some of them are shifted to ICU and are using BiPAP machines (sometimes prescribed for patients with high-pressure settings and low oxygen levels). We are advising patients to go out of Delhi those who can afford. But this is not the solution. As a doctor, I feel very helpless to see my patients who were doing better and now gasping for breath", he said. At Gurugram, the situation is not any better and more and more patients are coming to the hospital with air pollution-related issues. "The worsening pollution is surely taking a toll on the patients and the public at large. New patients (previously healthy) are reporting with cough, breathlessness, nausea decreased appetite and depression symptoms. The increase of these patients has been 30 per cent from the baseline", said Dr Himanshu Garg, Head of Department of Respiratory Medicine at W Pratiksha Hospital, Gurgaon. He also stated that the patients of pre-existing Respiratory disorders are having a tough time surviving this weather. "Many of them have been admitted mostly in the ICUs and could not be saved. About 50 per cent of patients are experiencing a flare-up of symptoms with 20 per cent have severe problems", Garg said. Notably, for the first time in this season, the Air Quality Index (AQI) docked as high as 625 at 10 in the morning despite light drizzles in the early hours. 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 pollution: Patients gasp for oxygen amid respiratory emergency, ICUs running full across city

<p>Air pollution in New Delhi and surrounding towns reached the worst levels so far this year on Sunday, with authorities in the world's most polluted capital city having already declared a public health emergency and ordered the closure of schools.</p>

<p>The air quality index, measuring levels of PM 2.5, tiny particulate matter in the air, deteriorated to above 900, way over the 500-level that qualifies as "severe-plus".</p>

<p>Aside from the harm it was doing to the lungs of some 40 million people living in the capital region, the smog was so bad more than 30 flights were diverted from Delhi airport due to poor visibility.</p>

<p>Roads looked deserted as large numbers of people stayed home, rather than expose themselves to the noxious atmosphere outside.</p>

<p>"Pollution has reached unbearable levels across north India," Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's chief minister said in a message on twitter.</p>

<p>The government environment monitoring agency SAFAR warned that no relief was expected for the next one to two days, as humidity resulting from unexpected light rains overnight had exacerbated pollution, already driven by higher the seasonal crop stubble burning by farmers in the surrounding states.</p>

<p>"Wind speed is picking up and it could take 24 to 48 hours before the pollution level reduces to a level of around 500," Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency, said.</p>

<p>Anything above 400 on the AQI poses a risk for people with respiratory illness and can also affect even those with healthy lungs.</p>

<p>Doctors were reporting a spike in patients with respiratory related issues, according to Sachin Taparia, head of Local Circles, a Delhi-based private consultancy that conducts surveys on government policies and programmes.</p>

<p>"Delhi has turned into a gas chamber as the pollution levels hit the ‘severe+’ category," Taparia said.</p>

<p>A survey of 17,000 people in the Delhi region by his consultancy found that 40 per cent want to get out of the Delhi region because of the failure to control pollution.</p>

<p>Authorities in Delhi on Friday declared a public health emergency and closed schools and all construction activity.</p>

<p>From Monday, the city government will also restrict the use of private vehicles on the capital's roads under an "odd-even" scheme based on license plates.</p>

<p>"The temporary restrictions on private vehicles will have a negligible impact as we face the most hazardous situation," said Skymet's Palawat.</p>

<p>Kejriwal, and the chief ministers from the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, urged the federal government to do more to combat the pollution.</p>

<p>On Monday, according to a lawyer, the Supreme Court is likely to hear a petition on Monday from the environment agency, looking for ways to make state governments to take tougher action against farmers to curb the stubble-burning. Politicians have been reluctant to upset their farming constituencies.</p>

<p>According to SAFAR, satellite pictures had captured more than 3,000 incidents of stubble burning last week in neighbouring states, contributing to 44 per cent of Delhi's pollution.</p>


Air pollution in New Delhi and surrounding towns reached the worst levels so far this year on Sunday, with authorities in the world's most polluted capital city having already declared a public health emergency and ordered the closure of schools.

Air pollution in New Delhi and surrounding towns reached the worst levels so far this year on Sunday, with authorities in the world's most polluted capital city having already declared a public health emergency and ordered the closure of schools. The air quality index, measuring levels of PM 2.5, tiny particulate matter in the air, deteriorated to above 900, way over the 500-level that qualifies as "severe-plus". Aside from the harm it was doing to the lungs of some 40 million people living in the capital region, the smog was so bad more than 30 flights were diverted from Delhi airport due to poor visibility. Roads looked deserted as large numbers of people stayed home, rather than expose themselves to the noxious atmosphere outside. "Pollution has reached unbearable levels across north India," Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's chief minister said in a message on twitter. The government environment monitoring agency SAFAR warned that no relief was expected for the next one to two days, as humidity resulting from unexpected light rains overnight had exacerbated pollution, already driven by higher the seasonal crop stubble burning by farmers in the surrounding states. "Wind speed is picking up and it could take 24 to 48 hours before the pollution level reduces to a level of around 500," Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency, said. Anything above 400 on the AQI poses a risk for people with respiratory illness and can also affect even those with healthy lungs. Doctors were reporting a spike in patients with respiratory related issues, according to Sachin Taparia, head of Local Circles, a Delhi-based private consultancy that conducts surveys on government policies and programmes. "Delhi has turned into a gas chamber as the pollution levels hit the ‘severe+’ category," Taparia said. A survey of 17,000 people in the Delhi region by his consultancy found that 40 per cent want to get out of the Delhi region because of the failure to control pollution. Authorities in Delhi on Friday declared a public health emergency and closed schools and all construction activity. From Monday, the city government will also restrict the use of private vehicles on the capital's roads under an "odd-even" scheme based on license plates. "The temporary restrictions on private vehicles will have a negligible impact as we face the most hazardous situation," said Skymet's Palawat. Kejriwal, and the chief ministers from the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, urged the federal government to do more to combat the pollution. On Monday, according to a lawyer, the Supreme Court is likely to hear a petition on Monday from the environment agency, looking for ways to make state governments to take tougher action against farmers to curb the stubble-burning. Politicians have been reluctant to upset their farming constituencies. According to SAFAR, satellite pictures had captured more than 3,000 incidents of stubble burning last week in neighbouring states, contributing to 44 per cent of Delhi's pollution.

India's smog-bound capital chokes, suffers most hazardous air so far this year

<p>Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday lashed out at the Centre for blaming the Kejriwal government for the rising level of pollution in the national capital and said that 63,000 machines provided by the Centre to curb stubble burning cannot help 26 lakh farmers.</p>

<p>"The Centre has provided 63,000 machines (to curb stubble burning) in two years. How will it help 26 lakhs farmers? It will of course not! With this speed, is it a programme for 50-60 years? If it is so what should people of Delhi-NCR do for the next 50 to 60 yrs?," asked Sisodia in a press conference.</p>

<p>The statement came in the wake of high pollution levels and hazardous air quality in the national capital following the festival of Diwali.</p>

<p>On Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh state governments should provide alternate machinery and equipment to farmers to stop them from burning stubble.</p>

<p>He had said the farmers were ready to use alternate machinery to prevent rising levels of pollution, but there was a lack of effort by the governments.</p>

<p>Hitting out at the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, Sisodia said: "Javadekar has postponed three meetings of Environment ministers of North Indian states that were scheduled and then were never held.</p>

<p>Either he does not have time or the problem of pollution is not his priority.</p>

<p>"Due to the prevailing weather condition, the Delhi government on Friday had announced schools to be shut till November 5 and banned all construction activities. The government has declared a "public health emergency".&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday lashed out at the Centre for blaming the Kejriwal government for the rising level of pollution in the national capital and said that 63,000 machines provided by the Centre to curb stubble burning cannot help 26 lakh farmers.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday lashed out at the Centre for blaming the Kejriwal government for the rising level of pollution in the national capital and said that 63,000 machines provided by the Centre to curb stubble burning cannot help 26 lakh farmers. "The Centre has provided 63,000 machines (to curb stubble burning) in two years. How will it help 26 lakhs farmers? It will of course not! With this speed, is it a programme for 50-60 years? If it is so what should people of Delhi-NCR do for the next 50 to 60 yrs?," asked Sisodia in a press conference. The statement came in the wake of high pollution levels and hazardous air quality in the national capital following the festival of Diwali. On Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh state governments should provide alternate machinery and equipment to farmers to stop them from burning stubble. He had said the farmers were ready to use alternate machinery to prevent rising levels of pollution, but there was a lack of effort by the governments. Hitting out at the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, Sisodia said: "Javadekar has postponed three meetings of Environment ministers of North Indian states that were scheduled and then were never held. Either he does not have time or the problem of pollution is not his priority. "Due to the prevailing weather condition, the Delhi government on Friday had announced schools to be shut till November 5 and banned all construction activities. The government has declared a "public health emergency".

Simply providing stubble burning machines won't help farmers: Manish Sisodia

<p>In view of the rising air pollution owing to stubble burning, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Saturday said that the Education Department has been asked to ensure that open activities are restricted in the schools across the state.</p>

<p>"The next two days are Saturday and Sunday. So there is no point in closing the schools. The state`s Education Department has been asked to restrict open activities in government and private schools to ensure that air pollution does not affect the health of children," he said during a press conference.</p>

<p>Chautala also said that the practice of stubble burning has decreased in Haryana.</p>

<p>"Delhi government is saying that stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab is responsible for the rise in air pollution in the national capital. If that is the case, then Haryana is at a greater risk," the Deputy Chief Minister said.</p>

<p>He said that air pollution is an environmental issue, which cannot be simply stopped by sealing borders.</p>

<p>"There are not many options for farmers than to burn the stubble. We will make one waste energy plant functional within six months and provide some subsidy in the sector so other power players can also come and set up plants," said Chautala.</p>

<p>Pollution is also on the rise in several cities of Haryana and several locals complained of the increasing smog on the roads.</p>

<p>"There is so much pollution and smog. It is even affecting the visibility on roads, which can lead to accidents. Farmers are not acting responsibly. Policies are in place. This is wrong," said Prakash Kumar, a local of Sirsa.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


In view of the rising air pollution owing to stubble burning, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Saturday said that the Education Department has been asked to ensure that open activities are restricted in the schools across the state.

In view of the rising air pollution owing to stubble burning, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Saturday said that the Education Department has been asked to ensure that open activities are restricted in the schools across the state. "The next two days are Saturday and Sunday. So there is no point in closing the schools. The state`s Education Department has been asked to restrict open activities in government and private schools to ensure that air pollution does not affect the health of children," he said during a press conference. Chautala also said that the practice of stubble burning has decreased in Haryana. "Delhi government is saying that stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab is responsible for the rise in air pollution in the national capital. If that is the case, then Haryana is at a greater risk," the Deputy Chief Minister said. He said that air pollution is an environmental issue, which cannot be simply stopped by sealing borders. "There are not many options for farmers than to burn the stubble. We will make one waste energy plant functional within six months and provide some subsidy in the sector so other power players can also come and set up plants," said Chautala. Pollution is also on the rise in several cities of Haryana and several locals complained of the increasing smog on the roads. "There is so much pollution and smog. It is even affecting the visibility on roads, which can lead to accidents. Farmers are not acting responsibly. Policies are in place. This is wrong," said Prakash Kumar, a local of Sirsa.

In view of pollution, open activities to be restricted in Haryana schools: Dushyant Chautala

Environmentalists and residents in New Delhi urged authorities to shift the upcoming India-Bangladesh Twenty20 match to a different venue as air pollution remained at the most severe level in the Indian capital for the second day running on Wednesday (October 30).

As pollution plagues Delhi, calls grow to shift India-Bangladesh T20 match

<p>Just a day ahead of Diwali, Delhi's air quality dropped to season's worst on Saturday, due to decrease speed of the wind affecting the dispersion of dust particles.</p>

<p>"The decrease in wind speed has started to negatively influence Delhi's air quality by drastically decreasing ventilation coefficients and thereby affecting dispersion," said the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).</p>

<p>At 10 am today, the overall air quality of Delhi was docking at 305, said SAFAR. The organisation had predicted that tomorrow, the air quality will get even worse from today.</p>

<p>The AQI is expected to be around 324. An AQI between 0 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'.</p>

<p>The increasing menace of air pollution in Delhi has erupted a political slugfest with allegation and counter allegation levelling across party lines.</p>

<p>On Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Goel slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not taking requisite measures to combat the pollution.</p>

<p>Speaking to ANI, the former union minister said, " Pollution has increased in Delhi. In the last five years, Arvind Kejriwal has done nothing to reduce air pollution in the national capital. It was only the Centre who has taken steps like constructing bridges, highways and widened roads for traffic management and decongestion."</p>

<p>He also slammed the Delhi government for re-introducing the Odd-Even scheme in Delhi in saying, "They have introduced this scheme just to be in the news. Their (AAP government) is to be in the advertisements. Odd-Even will again cause a problem for the people."</p>

<p>To combat the menace of air pollution, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi has announced the implementation of the Odd-Even scheme from November 4 to 15, 2019, stating that the smog from the nearby states due to the burning of crop residue is the major cause of pollution in the region.</p>

<p>On a closer look, farmers residing in Haryana and Punjab usually burn the crop residue after harvesting paddy in the autumn season in order to clear the fields for summer harvest. Smoke from these two states travels to the national capital each year, leading to a spike in the air pollution levels.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Just a day ahead of Diwali, Delhi's air quality dropped to season's worst on Saturday, due to decrease speed of the wind affecting the dispersion of dust particles.

Just a day ahead of Diwali, Delhi's air quality dropped to season's worst on Saturday, due to decrease speed of the wind affecting the dispersion of dust particles. "The decrease in wind speed has started to negatively influence Delhi's air quality by drastically decreasing ventilation coefficients and thereby affecting dispersion," said the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). At 10 am today, the overall air quality of Delhi was docking at 305, said SAFAR. The organisation had predicted that tomorrow, the air quality will get even worse from today. The AQI is expected to be around 324. An AQI between 0 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 increasing menace of air pollution in Delhi has erupted a political slugfest with allegation and counter allegation levelling across party lines. On Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Goel slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not taking requisite measures to combat the pollution. Speaking to ANI, the former union minister said, " Pollution has increased in Delhi. In the last five years, Arvind Kejriwal has done nothing to reduce air pollution in the national capital. It was only the Centre who has taken steps like constructing bridges, highways and widened roads for traffic management and decongestion." He also slammed the Delhi government for re-introducing the Odd-Even scheme in Delhi in saying, "They have introduced this scheme just to be in the news. Their (AAP government) is to be in the advertisements. Odd-Even will again cause a problem for the people." To combat the menace of air pollution, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi has announced the implementation of the Odd-Even scheme from November 4 to 15, 2019, stating that the smog from the nearby states due to the burning of crop residue is the major cause of pollution in the region. On a closer look, farmers residing in Haryana and Punjab usually burn the crop residue after harvesting paddy in the autumn season in order to clear the fields for summer harvest. Smoke from these two states travels to the national capital each year, leading to a spike in the air pollution levels.

Delhi chokes again day ahead of Diwali, likely to worsen tomorrow

<p>Low visibility conditions on Tuesday disrupted<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pollution-at-emegency-level-in-past-two-days-in-delhi-186191"> flight operations at the Delhi </a>airport and departures were put on hold for two hours, an official said.</p>

<p>Three international and one domestic flight have been diverted so far while arrivals have not been stopped, the official added.</p>

<p>The minimum visibility required for takeoff is 125 metres.</p>

<p>According to the official, since the Low Visibility Take Off (LVTO) requirement is not being fulfilled, the departure of flights was on hold for two hours from around 0715 hours.</p>

<p>The departure of flights resumed at 0916 hours.</p>

<p>The Indira Gandhi International Airport is the busiest in the country and on an average sees more than 70 flight movements per hour. This includes both arrivals and departures.</p>


Low visibility conditions on Tuesday disrupted flight operations at the Delhi airport and departures were put on hold for two hours, an official said. Three international and one domestic flight have been diverted so far while arrivals have not been stopped, the official added.

Low visibility conditions on Tuesday disrupted flight operations at the Delhi airport and departures were put on hold for two hours, an official said. Three international and one domestic flight have been diverted so far while arrivals have not been stopped, the official added. The minimum visibility required for takeoff is 125 metres. According to the official, since the Low Visibility Take Off (LVTO) requirement is not being fulfilled, the departure of flights was on hold for two hours from around 0715 hours. The departure of flights resumed at 0916 hours. The Indira Gandhi International Airport is the busiest in the country and on an average sees more than 70 flight movements per hour. This includes both arrivals and departures.

Low visibility disrupts flight operations at Delhi airport

Watch: WION Your Story, 25th December, 2018

Delhi's polluted air on Christmas almost as bad as day after Diwali

<p>People residing in Delhi and National Capital Region are reeling under the impact of breathing polluted air from the past couple of months due to vehicular pollution, crop residue burning and climate change.</p>

<p>As per the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded 349 on Tuesday, falling under the 'very poor'&nbsp;quality category.</p>

<p>The fog will lift in the morning with maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 31 degrees Celsius and 13-degree Celsius, respectively.</p>

<p>Humidity in the region has plummeted to 60 per cent with a wind speed of 8 kilometres per hour. AQI between the range of 0-50 is considered good while the range beyond 500 is contemplated as hazardous.</p>

<p>The air quality index between the range 51 to 100 is marked as satisfactory while 101-200 range is touted as moderate.</p>

<p>The range of 201-300 comes under the category of poor whereas 401-500 range is considered as severe. At Dhirpur, the AQI was 387 at 8:45 am, while in Mathura Road area, it dipped to 'very poor'&nbsp;at 361.</p>

<p>Furthermore, AQI near Pitampura, Airport Terminal 3 and Delhi University stood at 356, 335 and 326, respectively. Experts have predicted that the air pollution will continue to engulf the capital and its nearby region from the next couple of days.</p>

<p>"The air quality is very poor and will remain very poor with a gradually increasing trend for the next two days without any major episode and then likely to decline. The AQI will remain in the very poor category only. The increase is attributed to declining in wind speed as compared to past two days. Tomorrow, the sky is likely to be hazy /cloudy (not good for aq). All other meteorological factors are unfavourable and likely to remain so at least for the next two days. The contribution from stubble biomass has almost seized, " the forecasting agency stated.</p>

<p>In order to prevent the smog-haze issue, the pollution-hit cities can follow in Singapore's footsteps which also faced a similar issue in 2015.</p>

<p>In order to provide relief to its citizens, the Singapore government introduced the Haze Subsidy scheme, which provided affordable treatment for haze-related conditions to elderly, children and poor.</p>

<p>The climate change has also adversely affected the snow-laden peaks and landscapes of Himachal Pradesh.</p>

<p>The untimely snowfall in Lahul Spiti which is at least 3000 metres above the sea level, has resulted in the loss of crops such as cabbage, apple, potatoes etc. This area usually receives heavy snowfall between the month of December and April.</p>


People residing in Delhi and National Capital Region are reeling under the impact of breathing polluted air from the past couple of months due to vehicular pollution, crop residue burning and climate change.

People residing in Delhi and National Capital Region are reeling under the impact of breathing polluted air from the past couple of months due to vehicular pollution, crop residue burning and climate change. As per the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded 349 on Tuesday, falling under the 'very poor' quality category. The fog will lift in the morning with maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 31 degrees Celsius and 13-degree Celsius, respectively. Humidity in the region has plummeted to 60 per cent with a wind speed of 8 kilometres per hour. AQI between the range of 0-50 is considered good while the range beyond 500 is contemplated as hazardous. The air quality index between the range 51 to 100 is marked as satisfactory while 101-200 range is touted as moderate. The range of 201-300 comes under the category of poor whereas 401-500 range is considered as severe. At Dhirpur, the AQI was 387 at 8:45 am, while in Mathura Road area, it dipped to 'very poor' at 361. Furthermore, AQI near Pitampura, Airport Terminal 3 and Delhi University stood at 356, 335 and 326, respectively. Experts have predicted that the air pollution will continue to engulf the capital and its nearby region from the next couple of days. "The air quality is very poor and will remain very poor with a gradually increasing trend for the next two days without any major episode and then likely to decline. The AQI will remain in the very poor category only. The increase is attributed to declining in wind speed as compared to past two days. Tomorrow, the sky is likely to be hazy /cloudy (not good for aq). All other meteorological factors are unfavourable and likely to remain so at least for the next two days. The contribution from stubble biomass has almost seized, " the forecasting agency stated. In order to prevent the smog-haze issue, the pollution-hit cities can follow in Singapore's footsteps which also faced a similar issue in 2015. In order to provide relief to its citizens, the Singapore government introduced the Haze Subsidy scheme, which provided affordable treatment for haze-related conditions to elderly, children and poor. The climate change has also adversely affected the snow-laden peaks and landscapes of Himachal Pradesh. The untimely snowfall in Lahul Spiti which is at least 3000 metres above the sea level, has resulted in the loss of crops such as cabbage, apple, potatoes etc. This area usually receives heavy snowfall between the month of December and April.

Delhiites gasp for breath as air quality remains unhealthy

<p>He came, performed and left an indelible&nbsp;impact on fans as always. And while people crooned along with Canadian singer Bryan Adams as he performed for his Delhi audience on Sunday evening, it is the infamous smog that was at the centre of focus post his show.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Adams, who is also a renowned photographer, shared an image of the Delhi audience post-show. And while that image shows the massive crowd that had gathered to watch their favourite rockstar, it also had a silhouette of Adams in it thanks to the smog that has enveloped the capital at present.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Adams took to Instagram to share the image and wrote, "New Delhi, India 🇮🇳 you we’re incredible tonight. In this photo, if you look carefully you can see my shadow silhouetted in the dust and smoke of the venue over the audience. I’ve never seen that before. Magical India. Namaste."</p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo7BZa8ADdD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">New Delhi, India 🇮🇳 you we’re incredible tonight. In this photo, if you look carefully you can see my shadow silhouetted in the dust and smoke of the venue over the audience. I’ve never seen that before. Magical India. Namaste 🙏🏻 #bryanadamsultimate</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bryanadams/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Bryan Adams</a> (@bryanadams) on <time datetime="2018-10-14T17:39:25+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Oct 14, 2018 at 10:39am PDT</time></p>
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<p>Fans were quick to point out that what Adams saw as ‘magical India’ was actually Delhi’s smog. &nbsp;According to the World Health Organisation, &nbsp;the city is one of the worst places in the world for air pollution. At present, the air quality in Delhi-NCR is “very poor” with the government bringing in the emergency Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).<br />
<br />
The event took place at Leisure Valley in Gurgaon which is part of Delhi NCR. &nbsp;The venue is an open space with minimal green cover&nbsp;and mostly used for concerts. The sheer number of people at Adams' concert on a dusty terrain created a haze of sort during the concert.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bollywood singer Harshdeep Kaur opened the concert. Dressed in &nbsp;a blue t shirt and blue jeans, the veteran singer came on stage and said, "Hello Delhi, my name is Bryan."<br />
<br />
"We have been coming here (to India) since 1994. It’s taken long and I’ve always asked our promoters, ‘where is my Delhi show’?” He went on to say, “I have all kinds of songs for you tonight, old ones, a few new ones, I’m not sure how much time you have but we have a long show ahead! Tonight we have the biggest party in India.”<br />
<br />
As part of the Ultimate Bryan Adams India Tour Bryan performed in in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru before coming to Delhi where he played some of his blockbuster hits like 'Summer Of 69', 'Here I Am', 'Everything I do, I do it for you' and 'Cloud Number 9' among others.&nbsp;</p>


He came, performed and left an indelible impact on fans as always. And while people crooned along with Canadian singer Bryan Adams as he performed for his Delhi audience on Sunday evening, it is the infamous smog that was at the centre of focus post his show.

He came, performed and left an indelible impact on fans as always. And while people crooned along with Canadian singer Bryan Adams as he performed for his Delhi audience on Sunday evening, it is the infamous smog that was at the centre of focus post his show. Adams, who is also a renowned photographer, shared an image of the Delhi audience post-show. And while that image shows the massive crowd that had gathered to watch their favourite rockstar, it also had a silhouette of Adams in it thanks to the smog that has enveloped the capital at present. Adams took to Instagram to share the image and wrote, "New Delhi, India 🇮🇳 you we’re incredible tonight. In this photo, if you look carefully you can see my shadow silhouetted in the dust and smoke of the venue over the audience. I’ve never seen that before. Magical India. Namaste." View this post on Instagram New Delhi, India 🇮🇳 you we’re incredible tonight. In this photo, if you look carefully you can see my shadow silhouetted in the dust and smoke of the venue over the audience. I’ve never seen that before. Magical India. Namaste 🙏🏻 #bryanadamsultimate A post shared by Bryan Adams (@bryanadams) on Oct 14, 2018 at 10:39am PDT × Fans were quick to point out that what Adams saw as ‘magical India’ was actually Delhi’s smog. According to the World Health Organisation, the city is one of the worst places in the world for air pollution. At present, the air quality in Delhi-NCR is “very poor” with the government bringing in the emergency Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The event took place at Leisure Valley in Gurgaon which is part of Delhi NCR. The venue is an open space with minimal green cover and mostly used for concerts. The sheer number of people at Adams' concert on a dusty terrain created a haze of sort during the concert. Bollywood singer Harshdeep Kaur opened the concert. Dressed in a blue t shirt and blue jeans, the veteran singer came on stage and said, "Hello Delhi, my name is Bryan." "We have been coming here (to India) since 1994. It’s taken long and I’ve always asked our promoters, ‘where is my Delhi show’?” He went on to say, “I have all kinds of songs for you tonight, old ones, a few new ones, I’m not sure how much time you have but we have a long show ahead! Tonight we have the biggest party in India.” As part of the Ultimate Bryan Adams India Tour Bryan performed in in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru before coming to Delhi where he played some of his blockbuster hits like 'Summer Of 69', 'Here I Am', 'Everything I do, I do it for you' and 'Cloud Number 9' among others.

Smog effect! Bryan Adams shares photo of dust and smoke from Delhi concert, calls it 'magical'

<p>Coordinated action to combat stubble burning, commissioning studies and launch of a hotline and an app to report violations are some of the measures in the 12-point draft plan formulated by a high-level task force to combat air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.</p>

<p>The draft action plan also calls for formulating a journey planner app which integrates the Metro, the DIMTS and the DTC services and integrated ticketing across the DTC, cluster and metro within six months.</p>

<p>The high-level task force headed by the principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formulated the draft Air Action Plan ? Abatement of Air Pollution in the Delhi NCR and has invited suggestions in 15 days to make it more &quot;effective and practical&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;The action plan lists key actions that the task force will monitor. It is recognised that the agencies responsible for the various determinants of air quality will take a number of other steps based on their assessment of need.</p>

<p>&quot;The secretary, MoEF will be responsible for overall coordination of the action agenda,&quot; said the draft which has been put up on the Environment Ministrys website.</p>

<p>The draft proposes coordinated action to combat stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and also monitor enforcement measures to reduce stubble burning.</p>

<p>It also calls for implementing rollout of a plan for properly disposing of crop stubble and ensuring that independent data on stubble burning is available in real time in collaboration with department of science and technology among others.</p>

<p>The plan says that in collaboration with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), it should be ensured that the Delhi-NCR has an adequate network of air quality monitoring stations.</p>

<p>&quot;Commission and validate source attribution studies for the NCR (annually). Set up an anti-pollution helpline in the NCR districts to register complaints of specific violations.</p>

<p>&quot;A pollution app should also be prepared wherein citizens can take a picture of the violation and upload it for quick remedial action,&quot; the plan said.</p>

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<p>The deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR means that babies in the region are inhaling a cigarette the moment they are born. (WION Web Team)</p>
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<p>For power plants in the NCR region, it calls for NOx curtailment measures in a time-bound manner by the NTPC and other operators and asks the Environment Ministry to develop a Dashboard of all the Red Category polluting units in the NCR.</p>

<p>Each of these units should install a certified pollution meter within their premises, it said.</p>

<p>&quot;Strict action should be taken regarding brick kilns operating in the NCR, especially in areas like Bagpat (UP), Jhajjar (Haryana) without environmental clearance. Enforce all brick kilns to migrate to zig-zag technology,&quot; the draft said.</p>

<p>Noting that mechanised road sweeping is about 15 per cent in Delhi, the draft plan also says that it should be increased to at least 40 per cent in the next four months.</p>

<p>It also asks the Delhi PWD, the Irrigation Department and the MCDs to take up green paving of central verges, roadside berms, sides of drains, over the next one year with monitorable targets.</p>

<p>It has asked the corporations in Delhi to reduce dust and ensure that SoPs are followed at construction sites in terms of curtaining and sprinkling water among other measures.</p>

<p>The draft also asks for procurement of additional buses and improvement of last mile connectivity while increasing the number of metro coaches.</p>

<p>&quot;Ensure that non-destined trucks do not enter Delhi. Ensure compliance of the toll and municipal charges for entering of trucks in Delhi,&quot; the draft said.</p>

<p>The draft also asks divisional commissioners to assess the management of municipal solid waste in their jurisdictions and within 15 days, prepare a plan to ensure 100 per cent collection and processing.</p>

<p>&quot;The plan must have monitorable timelines and an independent verification mechanism. Steps will be taken to combat road dust and dust arising from construction activities, broadly following the model set by Delhi,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>It also asks for completion of Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways within target dates.</p>

<p>&quot;Encouraging electric vehicles and promoting shared and connected mobility. Policy support to encourage electric vehicles, prioritising the use of EVs for public transport and promoting shared and connected mobility.</p>

<p>&quot;In collaboration with the traffic police, identify choke points and take up projects to reduce congestion at these points. Similar exercise may be done in respect of Meerut, Rohtak and Gurugram divisions,&quot; the draft says.</p>

<p>In the draft, the MCDs have also been asked to increase decentralised processing of bio-degradable waste and to fill the gap between the waste collected and processed.</p>

<p>&quot;An independent verification mechanism should be set up to check whether 100 per cent solid waste is actually being collected--with specific focus on poor communities such as slums and JJ clusters,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>The draft also calls for steps to be taken to ensure that no fires break out at sanitary landfills among others.</p>


The draft action plan also calls for formulating a journey planner app which integrates the Metro, the DIMTS and the DTC services

Coordinated action to combat stubble burning, commissioning studies and launch of a hotline and an app to report violations are some of the measures in the 12-point draft plan formulated by a high-level task force to combat air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. The draft action plan also calls for formulating a journey planner app which integrates the Metro, the DIMTS and the DTC services and integrated ticketing across the DTC, cluster and metro within six months. The high-level task force headed by the principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formulated the draft Air Action Plan ? Abatement of Air Pollution in the Delhi NCR and has invited suggestions in 15 days to make it more "effective and practical". "The action plan lists key actions that the task force will monitor. It is recognised that the agencies responsible for the various determinants of air quality will take a number of other steps based on their assessment of need. "The secretary, MoEF will be responsible for overall coordination of the action agenda," said the draft which has been put up on the Environment Ministrys website. The draft proposes coordinated action to combat stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and also monitor enforcement measures to reduce stubble burning. It also calls for implementing rollout of a plan for properly disposing of crop stubble and ensuring that independent data on stubble burning is available in real time in collaboration with department of science and technology among others. The plan says that in collaboration with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), it should be ensured that the Delhi-NCR has an adequate network of air quality monitoring stations. "Commission and validate source attribution studies for the NCR (annually). Set up an anti-pollution helpline in the NCR districts to register complaints of specific violations. "A pollution app should also be prepared wherein citizens can take a picture of the violation and upload it for quick remedial action," the plan said. The deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR means that babies in the region are inhaling a cigarette the moment they are born. (WION Web Team) × For power plants in the NCR region, it calls for NOx curtailment measures in a time-bound manner by the NTPC and other operators and asks the Environment Ministry to develop a Dashboard of all the Red Category polluting units in the NCR. Each of these units should install a certified pollution meter within their premises, it said. "Strict action should be taken regarding brick kilns operating in the NCR, especially in areas like Bagpat (UP), Jhajjar (Haryana) without environmental clearance. Enforce all brick kilns to migrate to zig-zag technology," the draft said. Noting that mechanised road sweeping is about 15 per cent in Delhi, the draft plan also says that it should be increased to at least 40 per cent in the next four months. It also asks the Delhi PWD, the Irrigation Department and the MCDs to take up green paving of central verges, roadside berms, sides of drains, over the next one year with monitorable targets. It has asked the corporations in Delhi to reduce dust and ensure that SoPs are followed at construction sites in terms of curtaining and sprinkling water among other measures. The draft also asks for procurement of additional buses and improvement of last mile connectivity while increasing the number of metro coaches. "Ensure that non-destined trucks do not enter Delhi. Ensure compliance of the toll and municipal charges for entering of trucks in Delhi," the draft said. The draft also asks divisional commissioners to assess the management of municipal solid waste in their jurisdictions and within 15 days, prepare a plan to ensure 100 per cent collection and processing. "The plan must have monitorable timelines and an independent verification mechanism. Steps will be taken to combat road dust and dust arising from construction activities, broadly following the model set by Delhi," it said. It also asks for completion of Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways within target dates. "Encouraging electric vehicles and promoting shared and connected mobility. Policy support to encourage electric vehicles, prioritising the use of EVs for public transport and promoting shared and connected mobility. "In collaboration with the traffic police, identify choke points and take up projects to reduce congestion at these points. Similar exercise may be done in respect of Meerut, Rohtak and Gurugram divisions," the draft says. In the draft, the MCDs have also been asked to increase decentralised processing of bio-degradable waste and to fill the gap between the waste collected and processed. "An independent verification mechanism should be set up to check whether 100 per cent solid waste is actually being collected--with specific focus on poor communities such as slums and JJ clusters," it said. The draft also calls for steps to be taken to ensure that no fires break out at sanitary landfills among others.

12-point draft plan formulated to combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>By Asit K. Biswas and Kris Hartley*</p>

<p>Delhi&rsquo;s air pollution crisis made international headlines in early December when a cricket match between India and Sri Lanka was suspended due to poor air quality.</p>

<p>Smog has also led to numerous school closures and flight cancellations in India&rsquo;s capital and largest city. It has also been blamed for highway accidents.</p>

<p>Delhi is home to 20 million residents, and the city&rsquo;s more than 10 million vehicles are a major contributor to air pollution. Industrial emissions are also to blame. Thirteen coal-fired power stations operate within a 300 kilometre radius of the city. Conditions reach crisis level every winter, when the capital&rsquo;s already poor air quality is further degraded by smoke from post-harvest burning in the neighbouring agricultural states of Haryana and Punjab.</p>

<p>The concentration of airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) recently reached 999 in parts of Delhi. This measurement was literally off the charts of maximum thresholds for air pollutants. The alarming fact is that Delhi is not even India&rsquo;s smoggiest city. By one measure, four other Indian cities typically suffer even worse air pollution.</p>

<p>There is little evidence that either the central or Delhi government has any effective policy strategy for air pollution. Now is the time for India to peer through the smog and learn how another major city, Beijing, is taking meaningful steps to stabilise its own air pollution crisis. While China still has progress to make, some lessons from the country&rsquo;s capital are a useful guide for clearing Delhi&rsquo;s air.</p>

<p><b>China&rsquo;s response</b></p>

<p>According to the World Health Organisation, ten of the world&rsquo;s 20 most polluted cities are in India, and three in China. The two countries top the ignoble list of deaths related to air pollution, with more than one million each in 2015. The two are the world&rsquo;s most populous countries and also have among the highest proportions of deaths related to air pollution.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, China is making progress. The central government has taken a systematic and coordinated approach to managing air pollution. It has adopted a suite of policies that promote alternative energy and punish regulatory breaches.</p>

<p>The country is rapidly scaling back capacity for coal-fired power and steel, whose production is suspected of threatening respiratory health. China is also soliciting foreign investment in green energy technologies, and has intensified inspections of major polluters around Beijing.</p>

<p>In Beijing alone, fines for pollution topped USD$ 28 million in 2015. To combat vehicle exhaust smoke, which is responsible for one-third of Beijing&rsquo;s emissions, an annual quota of 150,000 new cars was established for 2017, with 60,000 allotted only to fuel efficient cars. Beginning in 2018, this quota will be reduced by one third, to 100,000 annually. This will limit the total number of cars to around 6.3 million.</p>

<p>Beijing is also aiming to reduce coal consumption from the current 11 million tons per year to under 5 million by 2020.</p>

<p>There is some evidence that these measures are working. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, PM2.5 levels decreased by 27% between 2013 and 2016.</p>

<p><b>India&rsquo;s apathy</b></p>

<p>By comparison, India&rsquo;s political inefficiency is making regional air pollution a nearly intractable problem. Although the states of Haryana and Punjab have banned farmers from burning straw, implementation has been minimal. Policy coordination is also weak across states governed by rival political parties. For example, the leaders of Delhi and Haryana have publicly clashed about who is to blame for air pollution. They have also failed to hold discussions about the problem or to find feasible solutions.</p>

<p>Farmers constitute a significant voting base in Haryana and Punjab. This has led state governments to demand compensation from central government for losses farmers incur by ceasing burning. Such focus on short-term political gain is distracting policymakers from collaborating on regional solutions. The consequences of territorial grandstanding are deadly.</p>

<p>Another difference between India and China is the level of apathy among the government and general public. In China, years of seething public anger prompted Prime Minister Li Keqiang to &ldquo;declare war&rdquo; on pollution in 2014.</p>

<p>In India, public outrage over air pollution is still &ldquo;seasonal&rdquo; and rarely swells beyond social media. The central government has remained largely silent about pollution while state leaders indulge in meaningless inter-party squabbling and political theatre.</p>

<p>Amid this discouraging accountability vacuum, India&rsquo;s Supreme Court recently assumed the mantle of leadership on air pollution. It banned fireworks in the capital during the Diwali festival and pushed for response focused <a href="http://cpcb.nic.in/final_graded_table.pdf">action planning</a>. While these are encouraging steps, bypassing the legislative process on such fundamental public health issues is hardly ideal or sustainable.</p>

<p><b>Progress is needed</b></p>

<p>India has made remarkable progress lifting millions of people out of poverty in recent years. It aspires to be a global superpower, but has singularly failed to curb air pollution. Central government must intervene to coordinate collaborative policy among states and hold officials accountable for inaction. Central government should also reinforce state-level initiatives to minimise burning and promote sustainable farming.</p>

<p>More broadly, it may be time to ask whether highly argumentative democratic models are always the best solution for problems that transcend city and provincial boundaries. Sensible and informed policy leadership is needed to solve environmental challenges. India must rise above petty politics, lest the country bicker its way into smoggy irrelevance.</p>

<p>&nbsp;*Kris Hartley, Lecturer in City and Regional Planning, <i>Cornell University</i></p>

<p>This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The central government of China has taken a systematic and coordinated approach to managing air pollution. India dabbles in petty politics.

By Asit K. Biswas and Kris Hartley* Delhi’s air pollution crisis made international headlines in early December when a cricket match between India and Sri Lanka was suspended due to poor air quality. Smog has also led to numerous school closures and flight cancellations in India’s capital and largest city. It has also been blamed for highway accidents. Delhi is home to 20 million residents, and the city’s more than 10 million vehicles are a major contributor to air pollution. Industrial emissions are also to blame. Thirteen coal-fired power stations operate within a 300 kilometre radius of the city. Conditions reach crisis level every winter, when the capital’s already poor air quality is further degraded by smoke from post-harvest burning in the neighbouring agricultural states of Haryana and Punjab. The concentration of airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) recently reached 999 in parts of Delhi. This measurement was literally off the charts of maximum thresholds for air pollutants. The alarming fact is that Delhi is not even India’s smoggiest city. By one measure, four other Indian cities typically suffer even worse air pollution. There is little evidence that either the central or Delhi government has any effective policy strategy for air pollution. Now is the time for India to peer through the smog and learn how another major city, Beijing, is taking meaningful steps to stabilise its own air pollution crisis. While China still has progress to make, some lessons from the country’s capital are a useful guide for clearing Delhi’s air. China’s response According to the World Health Organisation, ten of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India, and three in China. The two countries top the ignoble list of deaths related to air pollution, with more than one million each in 2015. The two are the world’s most populous countries and also have among the highest proportions of deaths related to air pollution. Nevertheless, China is making progress. The central government has taken a systematic and coordinated approach to managing air pollution. It has adopted a suite of policies that promote alternative energy and punish regulatory breaches. The country is rapidly scaling back capacity for coal-fired power and steel, whose production is suspected of threatening respiratory health. China is also soliciting foreign investment in green energy technologies, and has intensified inspections of major polluters around Beijing. In Beijing alone, fines for pollution topped USD$ 28 million in 2015. To combat vehicle exhaust smoke, which is responsible for one-third of Beijing’s emissions, an annual quota of 150,000 new cars was established for 2017, with 60,000 allotted only to fuel efficient cars. Beginning in 2018, this quota will be reduced by one third, to 100,000 annually. This will limit the total number of cars to around 6.3 million. Beijing is also aiming to reduce coal consumption from the current 11 million tons per year to under 5 million by 2020. There is some evidence that these measures are working. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, PM2.5 levels decreased by 27% between 2013 and 2016. India’s apathy By comparison, India’s political inefficiency is making regional air pollution a nearly intractable problem. Although the states of Haryana and Punjab have banned farmers from burning straw, implementation has been minimal. Policy coordination is also weak across states governed by rival political parties. For example, the leaders of Delhi and Haryana have publicly clashed about who is to blame for air pollution. They have also failed to hold discussions about the problem or to find feasible solutions. Farmers constitute a significant voting base in Haryana and Punjab. This has led state governments to demand compensation from central government for losses farmers incur by ceasing burning. Such focus on short-term political gain is distracting policymakers from collaborating on regional solutions. The consequences of territorial grandstanding are deadly. Another difference between India and China is the level of apathy among the government and general public. In China, years of seething public anger prompted Prime Minister Li Keqiang to “declare war” on pollution in 2014. In India, public outrage over air pollution is still “seasonal” and rarely swells beyond social media. The central government has remained largely silent about pollution while state leaders indulge in meaningless inter-party squabbling and political theatre. Amid this discouraging accountability vacuum, India’s Supreme Court recently assumed the mantle of leadership on air pollution. It banned fireworks in the capital during the Diwali festival and pushed for response focused action planning. While these are encouraging steps, bypassing the legislative process on such fundamental public health issues is hardly ideal or sustainable. Progress is needed India has made remarkable progress lifting millions of people out of poverty in recent years. It aspires to be a global superpower, but has singularly failed to curb air pollution. Central government must intervene to coordinate collaborative policy among states and hold officials accountable for inaction. Central government should also reinforce state-level initiatives to minimise burning and promote sustainable farming. More broadly, it may be time to ask whether highly argumentative democratic models are always the best solution for problems that transcend city and provincial boundaries. Sensible and informed policy leadership is needed to solve environmental challenges. India must rise above petty politics, lest the country bicker its way into smoggy irrelevance. *Kris Hartley, Lecturer in City and Regional Planning, Cornell University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Delhi should follow Beijing in tackling air pollution

<p>Lifting&nbsp;the ban put on cement industry in Delhi, the&nbsp;supreme&nbsp;court has allowed the use of&nbsp;petcoke in these industries.</p>

<p>The cement industry can now use petcoke&nbsp;as feedstock.</p>

<p>The court had imposed the ban on the cement industry&nbsp;in November.</p>

<p>The ban was&nbsp;put&nbsp;to keep a check&nbsp;on the&nbsp;level of&nbsp;pollutants in the air.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur has issued the exemption order for cement units.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While he also asked the government to frame guidelines for the use of petcoke.</p>

<p>Delhi NCR experienced severe air pollution during the last month. The level of pollutants increased due to stubble burning from neighbouring states.The government along with NGT issued several restrictive&nbsp;measures to improve the quality of air.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The court had imposed the ban on the cement industry?in November

Lifting the ban put on cement industry in Delhi, the supreme court has allowed the use of petcoke in these industries. The cement industry can now use petcoke as feedstock. The court had imposed the ban on the cement industry in November. The ban was put to keep a check on the level of pollutants in the air. Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur has issued the exemption order for cement units. While he also asked the government to frame guidelines for the use of petcoke. Delhi NCR experienced severe air pollution during the last month. The level of pollutants increased due to stubble burning from neighbouring states.The government along with NGT issued several restrictive measures to improve the quality of air.

As pollution level reduces in Delhi, Supreme Court allows use of petcoke in cement industry

<p>The recently published UNICEF press release emphasises the debilitating effects of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/topic/air-pollution#" target="_blank">air pollution</a> on human health. The official release opens by stating that &quot;17 million babies under the age of 1 breathe toxic air, the majority -- 12 million -- live in South Asia&quot;. &quot;UNICEF urges immediate action to reduce air pollution amid emerging evidence on how toxic air can affect brain development in young children,&quot; the release notes. The paper further explains how air pollution can harm kids exposing them to health hazards like cognitive impairment, brain-tissue damage among others.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Not only do pollutants harm babies&rsquo; developing lungs &ndash; they can permanently damage their developing brains &ndash; and, thus, their futures,&rdquo; said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. &nbsp;&ldquo;Protecting children from air pollution, not only benefits children. It also benefits their societies &ndash; realized in reduced health care costs, increased productivity and a safer, cleaner environment for everyone,&rdquo; Lake added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bkp9k9F4aE8" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>South Asia is home to the largest number of babies -- 12.2 million -- living in the worst-affected areas where outdoor air pollution exceeds six times international limits set by the World Health Organization. The East Asia and Pacific region, on the other hand, has 4.3 million babies living in areas that exceed six times the standard pollution limit.</p>

<p>The UNICEF release highlighted the significance of clean air stating it as an equally important factor in a child&#39;s overall development as proper nutrition, &quot;air pollution, like inadequate nutrition and stimulation, and exposure to violence is critical during the first 1,000 days of life, and can impact children&rsquo;s early childhood development by affecting their growing brains,&quot; noted the release.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With a series of reports emerging and establishing India&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhis-air-quality-back-to-hazardous-poor-especially-during-morning-hours-25511" target="_blank">capital city as one of the highly polluted in the world</a>, residents living here seem to get no respite from the worsening air quality. At the time of writing this story, air quality at various areas in the city swung between &#39;severe&#39; and &#39;hazardous&#39;.&nbsp;</p>


The UNICEF release highlighted the significance of clean air stating it as an equally important factor in a child's overall development

The recently published UNICEF press release emphasises the debilitating effects of air pollution on human health. The official release opens by stating that "17 million babies under the age of 1 breathe toxic air, the majority -- 12 million -- live in South Asia". "UNICEF urges immediate action to reduce air pollution amid emerging evidence on how toxic air can affect brain development in young children," the release notes. The paper further explains how air pollution can harm kids exposing them to health hazards like cognitive impairment, brain-tissue damage among others. “Not only do pollutants harm babies’ developing lungs – they can permanently damage their developing brains – and, thus, their futures,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “Protecting children from air pollution, not only benefits children. It also benefits their societies – realized in reduced health care costs, increased productivity and a safer, cleaner environment for everyone,” Lake added. South Asia is home to the largest number of babies -- 12.2 million -- living in the worst-affected areas where outdoor air pollution exceeds six times international limits set by the World Health Organization. The East Asia and Pacific region, on the other hand, has 4.3 million babies living in areas that exceed six times the standard pollution limit. The UNICEF release highlighted the significance of clean air stating it as an equally important factor in a child's overall development as proper nutrition, "air pollution, like inadequate nutrition and stimulation, and exposure to violence is critical during the first 1,000 days of life, and can impact children’s early childhood development by affecting their growing brains," noted the release. With a series of reports emerging and establishing India's capital city as one of the highly polluted in the world, residents living here seem to get no respite from the worsening air quality. At the time of writing this story, air quality at various areas in the city swung between 'severe' and 'hazardous'.

Parents, take note! Air pollution may permanently damage your kid's brain, says UNICEF

<p>As Delhi&#39;s air quality continues to soar beyond &#39;hazardous&#39; level, a resident of the national capital urged former US president Barack Obama to wear a face mask while on his visit to the city for a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/barack-obama-to-address-town-hall-in-delhi-today-25550" target="_blank">town hall meeting</a> scheduled today.<br />
<br />
Amrit Sharma, a data scientist by profession, wrote an open letter to Obama. He also hoped that Mr Obama&#39;s move may go a long way in generating awareness among local residents and may even propel action on combating air pollution. Sharma has been invited to attend an interactive session with Obama at the town hall.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;You are one the most photographed people on earth, but none of your photos could potentially save millions of lives yet. I believe that if you wear a face mask while you are in Delhi and take a photo (of it), that alone could have an impact,&rdquo; Sharma wrote in his letter to Obama. He also reasoned that most people can&#39;t really afford expensive face masks and air purifiers in a developing country like India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Centre said it will take &quot;harsh measures&quot;, if needed, to prevent any repeat of the recent smog episode,&quot; PTI reported. Emergency measures will kick in if PM2.5 and PM10 concentration cross 300 and 500 ug/m3 and stay there for 48 hours at a stretch. The government of Delhi has issued a health advisory urging people to avoid stepping out during early morning and late evening hours. Schools have been directed to avoid outdoor assemblies and other activities in the early morning hours.</p>

<p>Air quality at various areas in the city was recorded at &#39;hazardous&#39; level today. While air quality at Anand Vihar was recorded at 575 at 10 am today, DTU Delhi stood at 420. Gurugram&#39;s air quality was recorded at 253 and Dwarka was at 245.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from PTI)</em></p>


Barack Obama is on his visit to the city for a town hall meeting scheduled today

As Delhi's air quality continues to soar beyond 'hazardous' level, a resident of the national capital urged former US president Barack Obama to wear a face mask while on his visit to the city for a town hall meeting scheduled today. Amrit Sharma, a data scientist by profession, wrote an open letter to Obama. He also hoped that Mr Obama's move may go a long way in generating awareness among local residents and may even propel action on combating air pollution. Sharma has been invited to attend an interactive session with Obama at the town hall. “You are one the most photographed people on earth, but none of your photos could potentially save millions of lives yet. I believe that if you wear a face mask while you are in Delhi and take a photo (of it), that alone could have an impact,” Sharma wrote in his letter to Obama. He also reasoned that most people can't really afford expensive face masks and air purifiers in a developing country like India. The Centre said it will take "harsh measures", if needed, to prevent any repeat of the recent smog episode," PTI reported. Emergency measures will kick in if PM2.5 and PM10 concentration cross 300 and 500 ug/m3 and stay there for 48 hours at a stretch. The government of Delhi has issued a health advisory urging people to avoid stepping out during early morning and late evening hours. Schools have been directed to avoid outdoor assemblies and other activities in the early morning hours. Air quality at various areas in the city was recorded at 'hazardous' level today. While air quality at Anand Vihar was recorded at 575 at 10 am today, DTU Delhi stood at 420. Gurugram's air quality was recorded at 253 and Dwarka was at 245. (With inputs from PTI)

Delhi resident urges Barack Obama to wear a mask as air quality continues to dip

<p>Cyber Monday was on track to become the biggest-ever internet shopping day in the United States as people snapped up bargains on toys and electronics, with many more buying from their phones.</p>

<p>The shopping event is expected to generate $6.6 billion in sales, up from $5.6 billion a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics, which measured 80 per cent of all online transactions from the top 100 US&nbsp;web retailers. As of 10:00 pm&nbsp;EST (03:00 GMT), revenue from smartphones was $1.12 billion.</p>

<p>The buying frenzy has gone on for the better part of a week. Amazon.com Inc said it broke sales records this weekend and was on pace to do so on Cyber Monday. Thanksgiving and Black Friday, during which shoppers spent $7.9 billion, according to Adobe, had also generated record online sales.</p>

<p>The world&#39;s biggest shopping event was China&#39;s Singles&#39; Day earlier this month, in which Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reported sales of $25.4 billion.</p>

<p>Online sales have brightened the overall outlook for traditional US&nbsp;retailers that have expanded beyond brick-and-mortar. However, the availability of deals and promotions for weeks hurt foot traffic at stores.</p>

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<p>A worker uses a forklift to retrieve products stored inside of a large Amazon fulfillment center (Reuters)</p>
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<p>The lengthening of the holiday shopping season has had another effect, too: many Cyber Monday promotions were run of the mill.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s not as exciting as what the marketing makes it out to be,&quot; said Guru Hariharan, CEO of e-commerce software firm Boomerang Commerce, in Mountain View, California. &quot;The majority of these &#39;deals&#39; have been around since early November or late October.&quot;</p>

<p>Amazon came under criticism this year for marketing discounts off list prices it infrequently charges, so shoppers perceive their purchases to be bargains - an allegation it has denied.</p>

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<p>The lengthening of the holiday shopping season has had another effect, too: many Cyber Monday promotions were run of the mill (Reuters)</p>
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<p>According to an analysis by Boomerang Commerce, online retailers including Amazon were offering bigger savings for more of their most popular toys this year than last. Amazon said it sold 3 million toys halfway through Cyber Monday.</p>

<p>Top rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc is within striking distance of matching Amazon&#39;s online prices for the first time, a key milestone in its effort to regain the &quot;low price leader&quot; title, data gathered for Reuters show.</p>

<p>Amazon shares closed up 0.8 per cent, while Wal-Mart and Target Corp shares were about flat. JC&nbsp;Penney Company Inc closed up three&nbsp;per cent, and Macy&#39;s Inc closed up 0.7 per cent.</p>


There had been a slight improvement in air quality recently when authorities stopped all construction activity and the entry of truck into the city

Cyber Monday was on track to become the biggest-ever internet shopping day in the United States as people snapped up bargains on toys and electronics, with many more buying from their phones. The shopping event is expected to generate $6.6 billion in sales, up from $5.6 billion a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics, which measured 80 per cent of all online transactions from the top 100 US web retailers. As of 10:00 pm EST (03:00 GMT), revenue from smartphones was $1.12 billion. The buying frenzy has gone on for the better part of a week. Amazon.com Inc said it broke sales records this weekend and was on pace to do so on Cyber Monday. Thanksgiving and Black Friday, during which shoppers spent $7.9 billion, according to Adobe, had also generated record online sales. The world's biggest shopping event was China's Singles' Day earlier this month, in which Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reported sales of $25.4 billion. Online sales have brightened the overall outlook for traditional US retailers that have expanded beyond brick-and-mortar. However, the availability of deals and promotions for weeks hurt foot traffic at stores. A worker uses a forklift to retrieve products stored inside of a large Amazon fulfillment center (Reuters) × The lengthening of the holiday shopping season has had another effect, too: many Cyber Monday promotions were run of the mill. "It's not as exciting as what the marketing makes it out to be," said Guru Hariharan, CEO of e-commerce software firm Boomerang Commerce, in Mountain View, California. "The majority of these 'deals' have been around since early November or late October." Amazon came under criticism this year for marketing discounts off list prices it infrequently charges, so shoppers perceive their purchases to be bargains - an allegation it has denied. The lengthening of the holiday shopping season has had another effect, too: many Cyber Monday promotions were run of the mill (Reuters) × According to an analysis by Boomerang Commerce, online retailers including Amazon were offering bigger savings for more of their most popular toys this year than last. Amazon said it sold 3 million toys halfway through Cyber Monday. Top rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc is within striking distance of matching Amazon's online prices for the first time, a key milestone in its effort to regain the "low price leader" title, data gathered for Reuters show. Amazon shares closed up 0.8 per cent, while Wal-Mart and Target Corp shares were about flat. JC Penney Company Inc closed up three per cent, and Macy's Inc closed up 0.7 per cent.

Delhi's air quality back to 'hazardous', poor especially during morning hours

<p>The National Green Tribunal has called for a meeting of Ministry of Agriculture and states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on 28 November.</p>

<p>The NGT has also asked the&nbsp;NTPC to join the meeting.</p>

<p>The meeting is scheduled for 11 am.</p>

<p>The meeting is convened to decide on transportation and use of stubble.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">NGT directs NTPC, Ministry of Agriculture and states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to convene a meeting at 11 am on 28 November to decide on transportation, subsequent use of stubble and compensating farmers adequately. Next date of hearing is 6 December.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933236964009984000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The meeting will try to formulate a workable solution for stubble burning.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Thermal Power plant has expressed its willingness to use agricultural residue in power plants. However, they can use it as five per cent of the fuel.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">NGT asks all the concerned states to provide workable solution for stubble burning. NTPC says they are willing to use agricultural residue in power plants, however it may not be possible to use it directly as they can only use it as 5 percent of the fuel.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933236613148172289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The NGT&#39;s decision is in response to the rising level of air pollutant&nbsp;in Delhi and adjoining states.</p>

<p>The pollution level rises after the farmers resort to stubble burning to clear off the agricultural fields for next season.</p>


The meeting is convened to decide on transportation and use of stubble

The National Green Tribunal has called for a meeting of Ministry of Agriculture and states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on 28 November. The NGT has also asked the NTPC to join the meeting. The meeting is scheduled for 11 am. The meeting is convened to decide on transportation and use of stubble. NGT directs NTPC, Ministry of Agriculture and states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to convene a meeting at 11 am on 28 November to decide on transportation, subsequent use of stubble and compensating farmers adequately. Next date of hearing is 6 December. — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2017 × The meeting will try to formulate a workable solution for stubble burning. The Thermal Power plant has expressed its willingness to use agricultural residue in power plants. However, they can use it as five per cent of the fuel. NGT asks all the concerned states to provide workable solution for stubble burning. NTPC says they are willing to use agricultural residue in power plants, however it may not be possible to use it directly as they can only use it as 5 percent of the fuel. — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2017 × The NGT's decision is in response to the rising level of air pollutant in Delhi and adjoining states. The pollution level rises after the farmers resort to stubble burning to clear off the agricultural fields for next season.

NGT called for a meeting of Ministry of Agriculture, states and NTPC on Nov 28

<p>Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore flagged off the Delhi Half Marathon in the Capital&nbsp;on Sunday morning.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">At 10th <a href="https://twitter.com/runadhm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@runadhm</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ADHMX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ADHMX</a>. Hats off to ALL participants. Preparation for HM requires year-round dedication.<br />
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The giant awakens. India is becoming fitter.<br />
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Fitter India, better India.<br />
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Congrats to all winners &amp; participants. <a href="https://t.co/38y6G2Tw83">pic.twitter.com/38y6G2Tw83</a></p>
&mdash; Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ra_THORe/status/932088551658815490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Delhi High Court on Thursday gave the go-ahead for half-marathon as planned after the organisers assured the court that they have put in place a refund policy for those who want to opt out.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The organisers also assured the court that they were prepared to deal with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pollution-levels-high-court-issues-notice-to-delhi-government-over-half-marathon-24172" target="_blank">any medical emergencies</a>.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi Half Marathon Elite category results(Men&#39;s): Ethopia&#39;s Birhanu Legese and Andahmlak Belihu came first and second respectively. USA&#39;s Leonard Korir stood third. India&#39;s Nitendra Rawat came tenth. <a href="https://t.co/IIrZAPHyww">pic.twitter.com/IIrZAPHyww</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/932102142957051909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-medical-association-writes-to-delhi-cm-asking-him-to-cancel-airtel-delhi-half-marathon-23638">The Delhi High Court had earlier issued a notice to the Delhi government,</a>&nbsp;the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), organisers of the half marathon event and the Delhi Police on a letter by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) requesting to postpone the event due to pollution.&nbsp;</p>


The Delhi High Court on Thursday had given the approval for half-marathon after the organisers assured the court that they have put in place a refund policy for those who want to opt out

Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore flagged off the Delhi Half Marathon in the Capital on Sunday morning. At 10th @runadhm #ADHMX. Hats off to ALL participants. Preparation for HM requires year-round dedication. The giant awakens. India is becoming fitter. Fitter India, better India. Congrats to all winners & participants. pic.twitter.com/38y6G2Tw83 — Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) November 19, 2017 × The Delhi High Court on Thursday gave the go-ahead for half-marathon as planned after the organisers assured the court that they have put in place a refund policy for those who want to opt out. The organisers also assured the court that they were prepared to deal with any medical emergencies. Delhi Half Marathon Elite category results(Men's): Ethopia's Birhanu Legese and Andahmlak Belihu came first and second respectively. USA's Leonard Korir stood third. India's Nitendra Rawat came tenth. pic.twitter.com/IIrZAPHyww — ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2017 × The Delhi High Court had earlier issued a notice to the Delhi government, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), organisers of the half marathon event and the Delhi Police on a letter by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) requesting to postpone the event due to pollution.

Sports minister Rajyavardhan Rathore flags off Delhi Marathon

<p>Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday met Haryana chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar over the air pollution in Delhi resulting from stubble burning.</p>

<p>In a joint statement, the two chief ministers described the meeting as &quot;fruitful&quot; and said they had resolved to &quot;to put in sustained efforts in pursuance of the jointly identified action points in the coming days, weeks and months.&quot;</p>

<p>The statement&nbsp;read, &quot;We the chief ministers of Delhi and Haryana are happy to have had a very fruitful meeting at Chandigarh today. We recognised our deep and shared concern over the recent episode of heavy smog in the National Capital Region. We agreed upon the need for action on many measures aimed at preventing its re-occurrence in the winter of 2018. During discussions we agreed that the serious health risks to which such episodes of smog expose one and all require concrete and quick action on a number of fronts.</p>

<p>In today&#39;s meeting, we covered crop residue burning and vehicular pollution issue. We resolve to put in sustained efforts in pursuance of the jointly identified action points in the coming days, weeks and months. We look forward to covering other sources of air and water pollution in our future discussions.&quot;</p>

<p>The Delhi chief minister was accompanied by his environment minister and environment secretary.</p>

<p>Kejriwal had earlier said that Mr Khattar had called him to Chandigarh today since he was very busy and he could not meet him in Delhi.</p>

<p>In a letter to Mr Kejriwal on November 10, Khattar had asked Kejriwal what steps he had taken to end stubble burning by farmers in areas near the national capital.</p>

<p>The Delhi chief minister had sought a meeting with his counterparts from Haryana and Punjab to find a solution to stubble burning in neighbouring states, a major source of high pollution levels in Delhi during winters. He had earlier said that the Centre, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi governments should keep political differences aside and come together to find a permanent solution to stubble burning.</p>

<p>The practice of burning of crop residue by farmers of the two states of Punjab and Haryana has been blamed for the toxic smog enveloping the region every winter.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/amarinder-singh-againt-refused-to-meet-kerjiwal-24223">Yesterday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh again refused to meet Mr Kejriwal, asking him not to &quot;politicise&quot; the serious matter</a>.</p>

<p>He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief was &quot;trying to divert&quot; public attention from his government&#39;s &quot;failure&quot; to check the problem of pollution in Delhi, as exposed in the National Green Tribunal&#39;s response to the &quot;ill-conceived&quot; odd-even scheme.</p>

<p>He also said there was no point in meeting Kejriwal and asserted that stubble burning was an issue to be resolved by the Centre.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


In a joint statement, the two chief ministers said they had resolved to 'to put in sustained efforts in pursuance of the jointly identified action points in the coming days, weeks and months'

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday met Haryana chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar over the air pollution in Delhi resulting from stubble burning. In a joint statement, the two chief ministers described the meeting as "fruitful" and said they had resolved to "to put in sustained efforts in pursuance of the jointly identified action points in the coming days, weeks and months." The statement read, "We the chief ministers of Delhi and Haryana are happy to have had a very fruitful meeting at Chandigarh today. We recognised our deep and shared concern over the recent episode of heavy smog in the National Capital Region. We agreed upon the need for action on many measures aimed at preventing its re-occurrence in the winter of 2018. During discussions we agreed that the serious health risks to which such episodes of smog expose one and all require concrete and quick action on a number of fronts. In today's meeting, we covered crop residue burning and vehicular pollution issue. We resolve to put in sustained efforts in pursuance of the jointly identified action points in the coming days, weeks and months. We look forward to covering other sources of air and water pollution in our future discussions." The Delhi chief minister was accompanied by his environment minister and environment secretary. Kejriwal had earlier said that Mr Khattar had called him to Chandigarh today since he was very busy and he could not meet him in Delhi. In a letter to Mr Kejriwal on November 10, Khattar had asked Kejriwal what steps he had taken to end stubble burning by farmers in areas near the national capital. The Delhi chief minister had sought a meeting with his counterparts from Haryana and Punjab to find a solution to stubble burning in neighbouring states, a major source of high pollution levels in Delhi during winters. He had earlier said that the Centre, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi governments should keep political differences aside and come together to find a permanent solution to stubble burning. The practice of burning of crop residue by farmers of the two states of Punjab and Haryana has been blamed for the toxic smog enveloping the region every winter. Yesterday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh again refused to meet Mr Kejriwal, asking him not to "politicise" the serious matter. He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief was "trying to divert" public attention from his government's "failure" to check the problem of pollution in Delhi, as exposed in the National Green Tribunal's response to the "ill-conceived" odd-even scheme. He also said there was no point in meeting Kejriwal and asserted that stubble burning was an issue to be resolved by the Centre.

Delhi pollution: Kejriwal finally meets Haryana chief minister, says it was 'fruitful'

<p>As many as 233 challans have been issued against defaulters from November 9 to November 13 for carrying out construction activities in south Delhi, the area&#39;s civic body said today.</p>

<p>The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in a statement said 135 challans were issued during the same period for burning of solid waste, garbage, dry leaves, plastic, and rubber.</p>

<p>The authorities had on November 8 ordered an immediate halt on civil construction works and banned the entry of trucks, except those carrying essential commodities, in the city as the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) announced that pollution levels have hit &#39;severe plus&#39; in the national capital.</p>

<p>&quot;Keeping in view the emerging severe smog and in compliance of the court directions, the SDMC has started taking action against the burning of solid waste, garbage, dry leaves, plastic, rubber, and construction activities,&quot; the statement said.</p>

<p>It said fine amounting to Rs 7 lakh was collected for the burning of waste and garbage, while Rs 1.16 crore was collected for challans issued for carrying out construction activities in south Delhi, the SDMC added.&nbsp;</p>


Keeping in view the emerging severe smog and in compliance of the court directions, the SDMC has started taking action against the burning of solid waste, garbage, dry leaves, plastic, rubber, and construction activities

As many as 233 challans have been issued against defaulters from November 9 to November 13 for carrying out construction activities in south Delhi, the area's civic body said today. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in a statement said 135 challans were issued during the same period for burning of solid waste, garbage, dry leaves, plastic, and rubber. The authorities had on November 8 ordered an immediate halt on civil construction works and banned the entry of trucks, except those carrying essential commodities, in the city as the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) announced that pollution levels have hit 'severe plus' in the national capital. "Keeping in view the emerging severe smog and in compliance of the court directions, the SDMC has started taking action against the burning of solid waste, garbage, dry leaves, plastic, rubber, and construction activities," the statement said. It said fine amounting to Rs 7 lakh was collected for the burning of waste and garbage, while Rs 1.16 crore was collected for challans issued for carrying out construction activities in south Delhi, the SDMC added.

Challans worth Rs 1.16 lakh issued for construction activities: South Delhi Municipal Corporation

<p>The Delhi government has filed a fresh review petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) regarding odd-even policy.</p>

<p>The state government has again requested that two-wheelers and woman drivers be exempt from the scheme for one year or till 2,000 additional buses are engaged by the city.</p>

<p>The state government has also requested neighbouring states to implement the odd-even scheme.</p>

<p>The NGT had earlier today refused to exempt women and two-wheelers from the odd-even scheme.</p>

<p>It also directed the government ensure that over-10-year-old diesel vehicles be taken off the city&#39;s roads without delay.</p>

<p>Expressing concern over the rising pollution in Delhi, the bench said the city should &quot;not gift infected lungs to its children&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also asked the AAP government to identify the most-polluted areas in the city and sprinkle water on them from high-rise buildings.</p>

<p>The NGT however allowed non-polluting industries which manufacture essential goods to continue functioning.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Delhi government had scrapped its plan to implement the odd-even scheme from November 13 after the NGT said there would be no exemptions from the scheme for women drivers, two-wheelers, and government servants.</p>


The state government has again requested that two-wheelers and woman drivers be exempt from the scheme for one year or till 2,000 additional buses are engaged by the city

The Delhi government has filed a fresh review petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) regarding odd-even policy. The state government has again requested that two-wheelers and woman drivers be exempt from the scheme for one year or till 2,000 additional buses are engaged by the city. The state government has also requested neighbouring states to implement the odd-even scheme. The NGT had earlier today refused to exempt women and two-wheelers from the odd-even scheme. It also directed the government ensure that over-10-year-old diesel vehicles be taken off the city's roads without delay. Expressing concern over the rising pollution in Delhi, the bench said the city should "not gift infected lungs to its children". NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also asked the AAP government to identify the most-polluted areas in the city and sprinkle water on them from high-rise buildings. The NGT however allowed non-polluting industries which manufacture essential goods to continue functioning. The Delhi government had scrapped its plan to implement the odd-even scheme from November 13 after the NGT said there would be no exemptions from the scheme for women drivers, two-wheelers, and government servants.

Odd-even: Delhi government files fresh review petition with NGT

<p>The Delhi government has filed an appeal in the National Green Tribunal seeking certain changes in NGTs previous directions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Tribunal will hear the plea tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi Government files an appeal in the National Green Tribunal seeking certain changes in NGT&#39;s previous directions. Tribunal likely to hear the plea, tomorrow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OddEven?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OddEven</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AirPollution?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AirPollution</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929992993062371328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>To reduce the pollution level, the Delhi government had ordered the implementation of the odd-even rationing of vehicles from today.</p>

<p>However, the decision was dropped by the Delhi government after the National Green Tribunal&#39;s(NGT) said none of the vehicles would be exempted.</p>

<p>The government had exempted women, government officials and two-wheelers from the rationing.</p>

<p>The government claimed&nbsp;that the exemption was&nbsp;done keeping in mind the security of women in the city.</p>

<p>Also, the two-wheelers were exempted because the city does not have enough bus services to support the increase in the passengers.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The Delhi government has filed an appeal in the National Green Tribunal seeking certain changes in NGTs previous directions. The Tribunal will hear the plea tomorrow. Delhi Government files an appeal in the National Green Tribunal seeking certain changes in NGT's previous directions. Tribunal likely to hear the plea, tomorrow #OddEven #AirPollution — ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2017 × To reduce the pollution level, the Delhi government had ordered the implementation of the odd-even rationing of vehicles from today. However, the decision was dropped by the Delhi government after the National Green Tribunal's(NGT) said none of the vehicles would be exempted. The government had exempted women, government officials and two-wheelers from the rationing. The government claimed that the exemption was done keeping in mind the security of women in the city. Also, the two-wheelers were exempted because the city does not have enough bus services to support the increase in the passengers.

Delhi government files plea in NGT seeking changes in its previous directions

<p>A day after the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-smog-69-trains-delayed-22-recheduled-eight-cancelled-24069">Delhi government decided not to implement the odd-even</a> scheme for cars, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea seeking immediate measures to curb&nbsp;rising pollution in Delhi-NCR.</p>

<p>The CJI bench will hear the matter at the end of the board today.</p>

<p>The plea was filed by Supreme court lawyer&nbsp;RK Kapoor.&nbsp;The plea seeks to&nbsp;immediate action&nbsp;against stubble burning and construction dust.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal(NGT) hit out at the&nbsp;Delhi government saying whether the officials were only &quot;informing&quot;&nbsp;the media about the review petition on the odd-even scheme, as no review petition had been filed.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">NGT asks whether the Delhi government was only informing the media about a review petition on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OddEven?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OddEven</a> scheme since no review petition has been filed as yet.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929942001696436224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>NGT further said that the Delhi government had still not moved modification on NGT on the issue of odd-even vehicle number plates.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">NGT on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> Smog and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OddEven?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OddEven</a>: Delhi Government has still not moved modification application on NGT on the issue of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OddEven?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OddEven</a>. NGT observes &quot;govt approaching us or was its minister&#39;s statement for press only?&quot;</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929943445967290368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>On Sunday, the NGT had told the Delhi government to go ahead with the odd-even scheme but refused to exempt women and government vehicles. The Delhi government later decided not to go ahead with the scheme fearing safety&nbsp;for women.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, schools in Delhi reopened after being closed due to severe smog conditions, however, heavy smog continued unabated as Delhiites woke up on Monday morning.</p>

<p>(With inputs from ANI)</p>


?The Supreme Court agrees to hear a fresh plea seeking immediate measures to curb?rising pollution in Delhi-NCR

A day after the Delhi government decided not to implement the odd-even scheme for cars, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea seeking immediate measures to curb rising pollution in Delhi-NCR. The CJI bench will hear the matter at the end of the board today. The plea was filed by Supreme court lawyer RK Kapoor. The plea seeks to immediate action against stubble burning and construction dust. Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal(NGT) hit out at the Delhi government saying whether the officials were only "informing" the media about the review petition on the odd-even scheme, as no review petition had been filed. NGT asks whether the Delhi government was only informing the media about a review petition on the #OddEven scheme since no review petition has been filed as yet. — ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2017 × NGT further said that the Delhi government had still not moved modification on NGT on the issue of odd-even vehicle number plates. NGT on #Delhi Smog and #OddEven: Delhi Government has still not moved modification application on NGT on the issue of #OddEven. NGT observes "govt approaching us or was its minister's statement for press only?" — ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2017 × On Sunday, the NGT had told the Delhi government to go ahead with the odd-even scheme but refused to exempt women and government vehicles. The Delhi government later decided not to go ahead with the scheme fearing safety for women. Meanwhile, schools in Delhi reopened after being closed due to severe smog conditions, however, heavy smog continued unabated as Delhiites woke up on Monday morning. (With inputs from ANI)

Delhi smog: Supreme Court to hear plea on pollution today

<p>The smog in Delhi led to at least&nbsp;69 trains being delayed and 22 rescheduled with eight trains cancelled on Monday morning.</p>

<p>The latest Air Quality Index in many places in the national capital was recorded as &quot;hazardous&quot;.</p>

<p>In Delhi, Mandir Marg, Anand&nbsp;Vihar, Punjabi Bagh and Shadipur were at&nbsp;&quot;hazardous&quot; levels.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">According to latest AQI figures, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>&#39;s Mandir Marg at 523, Anand Vihar at 510, Punjabi Bagh at 743, Shadipur at 420; all fall in the &#39;Hazardous&#39; category in the Air Quality Index</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929896079113428992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The air quality in the city and the adjoining states remains severely polluted under the thick blanket of smog.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, schools in Delhi reopened on Monday after being closed due to severe smog conditions in the past week.</p>

<p>To reduce the pollution level, the Delhi government&nbsp;had ordered the&nbsp;implementation of the odd-even rationing of vehicles from today. However, the decision was dropped by the Delhi&nbsp;government after the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-government-should-prove-odd-even-has-worked-else-will-stay-imposition-of-the-rule-ngt-23910" target="_blank">National Green Tribunal</a>&#39;s(NGT) said none of the&nbsp;vehicles drivers would be exempted which including women and government officials.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Delhi government decided to present a new plan to the NGT on Monday, with the odd-even vehicle plan set to be implemented in the near future.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Schools in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> reopen, after being closed due to severe <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/smog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#smog</a> conditions in the national capital. Students seen wearing masks, teachers &#39;say collective efforts must be made, closing schools not a solution&#39; <a href="https://t.co/Mi1isF5hhM">pic.twitter.com/Mi1isF5hhM</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929901531889102848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Meanwhile, the schools in Delhi reopened on Monday after being closed due to severe smog conditions in the past week

The smog in Delhi led to at least 69 trains being delayed and 22 rescheduled with eight trains cancelled on Monday morning. The latest Air Quality Index in many places in the national capital was recorded as "hazardous". In Delhi, Mandir Marg, Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh and Shadipur were at "hazardous" levels. According to latest AQI figures, #Delhi's Mandir Marg at 523, Anand Vihar at 510, Punjabi Bagh at 743, Shadipur at 420; all fall in the 'Hazardous' category in the Air Quality Index — ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2017 × The air quality in the city and the adjoining states remains severely polluted under the thick blanket of smog. Meanwhile, schools in Delhi reopened on Monday after being closed due to severe smog conditions in the past week. To reduce the pollution level, the Delhi government had ordered the implementation of the odd-even rationing of vehicles from today. However, the decision was dropped by the Delhi government after the National Green Tribunal's(NGT) said none of the vehicles drivers would be exempted which including women and government officials. The Delhi government decided to present a new plan to the NGT on Monday, with the odd-even vehicle plan set to be implemented in the near future. Schools in #Delhi reopen, after being closed due to severe #smog conditions in the national capital. Students seen wearing masks, teachers 'say collective efforts must be made, closing schools not a solution' pic.twitter.com/Mi1isF5hhM — ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2017 ×

Delhi smog: Schools reopen, several trains delayed

<p>The Delhi transport minister&nbsp;Kailash Gehlot on Saturday afternoon said that odd-even car rationing scheme&nbsp;has been called off for the time being.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;In light of the two conditions laid out by National Green Tribunal (NGT) on two-wheelers and&nbsp;women, at the moment we are calling it off. We will go back to NGT on Monday, file a review petition for them to reconsider their decision regarding the two,&#39;&#39; added&nbsp;Gehlot.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OddEven?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OddEven</a> has been called off for now: Kailash Gehlot, Delhi Transport Minister <a href="https://t.co/2ZXzO0qHGZ">pic.twitter.com/2ZXzO0qHGZ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929287302580285441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The scheme, proposed by the Delhi government, was supposed to&nbsp;be rolled out on Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As per the&nbsp;scheme, cars with number plates ending with an odd number will be allowed to ply only on odd dates (1, 3, 5 etc). And vice-versa with cars with number plates ending with an even number.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier&nbsp;giving its nod to the scheme, the NGT said that there would be no exemptions for two-wheelers, women, or government servants, as was the case the last time the scheme was rolled out.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Emergency vehicles, however, will be exempted, the NGT stated while giving its nod for the scheme.&nbsp;</p>


The Delhi Transport Minister, Kailash Gehlot has said that Odd-Even has been called off for the time being

The Delhi transport minister Kailash Gehlot on Saturday afternoon said that odd-even car rationing scheme has been called off for the time being. "In light of the two conditions laid out by National Green Tribunal (NGT) on two-wheelers and women, at the moment we are calling it off. We will go back to NGT on Monday, file a review petition for them to reconsider their decision regarding the two,'' added Gehlot. #OddEven has been called off for now: Kailash Gehlot, Delhi Transport Minister pic.twitter.com/2ZXzO0qHGZ — ANI (@ANI) November 11, 2017 × The scheme, proposed by the Delhi government, was supposed to be rolled out on Monday. As per the scheme, cars with number plates ending with an odd number will be allowed to ply only on odd dates (1, 3, 5 etc). And vice-versa with cars with number plates ending with an even number. Earlier giving its nod to the scheme, the NGT said that there would be no exemptions for two-wheelers, women, or government servants, as was the case the last time the scheme was rolled out. Emergency vehicles, however, will be exempted, the NGT stated while giving its nod for the scheme.

Odd-even has been called off for now: Delhi transport minister

<p>Sixty-four trains travelling to Delhi were delayed, 14 rescheduled, and two cancelled because of the smog.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>There were no reports of any planes being delayed.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">64 trains delayed, 14 rescheduled and two cancelled due to smog/fog conditions <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929162724499587072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Air quality meanwhile was recorded as &quot;hazardous&quot; at a number of places.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>&#39;s Mandir Marg at 326, Anand Vihar at 430, Siri Fort at 316, Dwarka at 327, Shadipur at 331 in the &#39;Hazardous&#39; category, in Air Quality Index.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929169589124055045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>As was the case in neighbouring Gurgaon and Faridabad.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Haryana?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Haryana</a>: Vikas Sadan Gurugram at 330 &#39;Hazardous&#39;, Sector16A Faridabad at 204 &#39;Very Unhealthy&#39;, in Air Quality Index (AQI)</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929170547405086720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Air quality in Delhi dips each year as winter approaches, with the cooler air trapping pollutants closer to the ground.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The phenomenon is called &quot;inversion&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Sixty-four trains travelling to Delhi were delayed, 14 rescheduled, and two cancelled because of the smog. There were no reports of any planes being delayed. 64 trains delayed, 14 rescheduled and two cancelled due to smog/fog conditions #Delhi — ANI (@ANI) November 11, 2017 × Air quality meanwhile was recorded as "hazardous" at a number of places. #Delhi's Mandir Marg at 326, Anand Vihar at 430, Siri Fort at 316, Dwarka at 327, Shadipur at 331 in the 'Hazardous' category, in Air Quality Index. — ANI (@ANI) November 11, 2017 × As was the case in neighbouring Gurgaon and Faridabad. #Haryana: Vikas Sadan Gurugram at 330 'Hazardous', Sector16A Faridabad at 204 'Very Unhealthy', in Air Quality Index (AQI) — ANI (@ANI) November 11, 2017 × Air quality in Delhi dips each year as winter approaches, with the cooler air trapping pollutants closer to the ground. The phenomenon is called "inversion".

Delhi: 64 trains delayed, 2 cancelled due to smog

<p>India plans to spray water over its capital, New Delhi, to try to combat toxic smog that has triggered a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/watch-pollution-hits-dangerous-level-doctors-declare-health-emergency-6544">pollution emergency</a>, officials said on Friday, with conditions expected to get worse over the weekend.</p>

<p>Illegal crop burning in farm states surrounding New Delhi, vehicle exhaust in a city with limited public transport and swirling construction dust have <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/new-delhi-wins-the-global-air-pollution-race-538">caused the crisis</a>, as they do year after year.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Sprinkling water is the only way to bring down the dangerous pollution levels,&rdquo; said Shruti Bhardwaj, the environment ministry&#39;s senior most official in charge of monitoring air quality.</p>

<p>The government was finalising the plans to spray the water from a height of 100 metres, which would be unprecedented, she said, without saying how much of the city of 22 million people would be covered.</p>

<p>The thick blanket of grey air and pollutants has enveloped Delhi for the past four days. A US embassy measure of tiny particulate matter, called PM 2.5, showed a reading of 523 at 9 am on Friday - the outer limit of &quot;good&quot; air is 50.</p>

<p>PM 2.5 is about 30 times finer than a human hair. The particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.</p>

<p>The air has remained consistently in the &quot;hazardous&quot; category or beyond those levels, despite a litany of government measures: ordering a halt to all construction activities, restricting vehicular movement and raising parking charges four times to push residents to use public transport.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-traffic-police-to-restrict-entry-of-goods-vehicles-23864">Commercial trucks are now banned</a> from the city unless they are transporting essential commodities and the Delhi transport department said it will re-introduced an &ldquo;odd-even&rdquo; scheme from next week under which cars with licence plates ending in an odd number are allowed one day and even-numbered cars the next day.</p>

<p>The scheme was introduced in the Chinese capital a decade ago to fight traffic and pollution with mixed success.</p>

<p>The Delhi high court issued an order on Thursday suggesting the city&#39;s government consider &quot;cloud seeding&quot; to induce rainfall artificially, a practice also used in Beijing.</p>

<p>Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, said sprinkling water will help, but it won&#39;t solve everything.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Each and every dust control measure has to be put in place to ensure that air quality improves as soon as possible,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Satyendra Kumar Jain, New Delhi&rsquo;s health minister, said labourers living in urban slums or beneath road fly-overs were suffering the most. Government hospitals in the city, Jain said, were treating thousands of patients with respiratory ailments.</p>

<p>&quot;The only solution left is that we start spraying water right at the street level, especially along heavy traffic roads,&quot; Jain said.</p>

<p>Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of Delhi, called the capital a &quot;gas chamber&quot; earlier this week as his government sought urgent meetings with the federal government and neighbouring states to find solutions.</p>

<p>Affluent residents and large private companies have been placing bulk orders for air purifiers and filtration masks.</p>

<p>&quot;I have installed six air purifiers in my home, closed all the windows, but my eyes are still watering,&quot; said Ranveer Singhal, a commodity trader living in leafy neighbourhood of the city.</p>

<p>According to a 2016 World Bank report, nearly 1.4 million people died in India due to air pollution in 2013, causing an economic loss worth 7.7 per cent of the nation&#39;s GDP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Organisers of music festivals and open air parties are now cancelling events after the Central Pollution Control Board said air quality could deteriorate further during the weekend.</p>

<p>Pronab Sarkar, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, said air pollution had also hit tourism.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Many tourists are cancelling their bookings for Christmas holiday,&rdquo; he said.</p>


?Sprinkling water is the only way to bring down the dangerous pollution levels,? said Shruti Bhardwaj, the environment ministry's senior most official in charge of monitoring air quality

India plans to spray water over its capital, New Delhi, to try to combat toxic smog that has triggered a pollution emergency, officials said on Friday, with conditions expected to get worse over the weekend. Illegal crop burning in farm states surrounding New Delhi, vehicle exhaust in a city with limited public transport and swirling construction dust have caused the crisis, as they do year after year. “Sprinkling water is the only way to bring down the dangerous pollution levels,” said Shruti Bhardwaj, the environment ministry's senior most official in charge of monitoring air quality. The government was finalising the plans to spray the water from a height of 100 metres, which would be unprecedented, she said, without saying how much of the city of 22 million people would be covered. The thick blanket of grey air and pollutants has enveloped Delhi for the past four days. A US embassy measure of tiny particulate matter, called PM 2.5, showed a reading of 523 at 9 am on Friday - the outer limit of "good" air is 50. PM 2.5 is about 30 times finer than a human hair. The particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases. The air has remained consistently in the "hazardous" category or beyond those levels, despite a litany of government measures: ordering a halt to all construction activities, restricting vehicular movement and raising parking charges four times to push residents to use public transport. Commercial trucks are now banned from the city unless they are transporting essential commodities and the Delhi transport department said it will re-introduced an “odd-even” scheme from next week under which cars with licence plates ending in an odd number are allowed one day and even-numbered cars the next day. The scheme was introduced in the Chinese capital a decade ago to fight traffic and pollution with mixed success. The Delhi high court issued an order on Thursday suggesting the city's government consider "cloud seeding" to induce rainfall artificially, a practice also used in Beijing. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, said sprinkling water will help, but it won't solve everything. "Each and every dust control measure has to be put in place to ensure that air quality improves as soon as possible," she said. Satyendra Kumar Jain, New Delhi’s health minister, said labourers living in urban slums or beneath road fly-overs were suffering the most. Government hospitals in the city, Jain said, were treating thousands of patients with respiratory ailments. "The only solution left is that we start spraying water right at the street level, especially along heavy traffic roads," Jain said. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of Delhi, called the capital a "gas chamber" earlier this week as his government sought urgent meetings with the federal government and neighbouring states to find solutions. Affluent residents and large private companies have been placing bulk orders for air purifiers and filtration masks. "I have installed six air purifiers in my home, closed all the windows, but my eyes are still watering," said Ranveer Singhal, a commodity trader living in leafy neighbourhood of the city. According to a 2016 World Bank report, nearly 1.4 million people died in India due to air pollution in 2013, causing an economic loss worth 7.7 per cent of the nation's GDP. Organisers of music festivals and open air parties are now cancelling events after the Central Pollution Control Board said air quality could deteriorate further during the weekend. Pronab Sarkar, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, said air pollution had also hit tourism. “Many tourists are cancelling their bookings for Christmas holiday,” he said.

Smog emergency: Govt plans to spray water on Delhi from a height of 100 metres

<p>The Delhi Traffic Police has shut shop. No trucks are to be allowed into the city for three days.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The borders were sealed at 11 pm on Thursday night, and will remain so till 11 pm on November 12.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">All borders entry points from where Heavy &amp; Medium goods vehicles enter into Delhi shall be sealed by Delhi Police w.e.f. 11.00 PM of 9th November to 11.00 PM of 12th November which can be further extended depending upon air quality in Delhi in coming days: Delhi Traffic Police</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928682579590385664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">All neighboring Districts &amp; States have been requested to deploy adequate manpower on their part at all Border Entry Points in their respective areas of jurisdiction and help Delhi Police in implementing the directions in true &amp; letter and spirit: Delhi Traffic Police</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928682782666080256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The concerned authorities of the neighbouring have also been requested to ensure that flow of other motorists is not affected due to stoppage of entry of heavy and medium goods vehicles into Delhi from Border Entry Points: Delhi Traffic Police</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928682873854377984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The traffic police were following orders from the National Green Tribunal which had on Thursday ordered the shutting down of all construction and industrial activities till November 14.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The NGT had also ordered the sealing of the border to all trucks and heavy vehicles.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Delhi however still woke up to a polluted Friday, with a number of areas reporting air quality in the &quot;hazardous&quot; category.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>&#39;s Mandir Marg at 515, Punjabi Bagh at 802, Anand Vihar at 571, Dwarka at 420 in Air Quality Index; all fall in the &#39;Hazardous&#39; category.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928801618316771328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ghaziabad: Dense smog seen in Indirapuram in the early morning hours <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UttarPradesh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UttarPradesh</a> <a href="https://t.co/SbMHolPB0y">pic.twitter.com/SbMHolPB0y</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/928821940982136833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>There is generally a dip in air quality in Delhi as winter approaches.&nbsp;The cooler air traps pollutants closer to the ground -- a phenomenon called inversion.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Delhi Traffic Police said the banning of trucks could be extended beyond November 12 should there be no improvement in air quality.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They added though that trucks carrying essentials were being allowed into the city.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Vehicles with essential commodities are not being restricted by us, they are being allowed: DCP DK Gupta <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Singhuborder?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Singhuborder</a> <a href="https://t.co/FXMyJEJy6u">pic.twitter.com/FXMyJEJy6u</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928810346613063680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>In the meantime, schools have been shut in the city because of the pollution.</p>

<p>And the city will undergo another odd-even round -- with cars with odd and even number plates allowed to play only on alternate days -- starting Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The borders were sealed Thursday night at 11 pm and will stay that way till 11 pm on November 12

The Delhi Traffic Police has shut shop. No trucks are to be allowed into the city for three days. The borders were sealed at 11 pm on Thursday night, and will remain so till 11 pm on November 12. All borders entry points from where Heavy & Medium goods vehicles enter into Delhi shall be sealed by Delhi Police w.e.f. 11.00 PM of 9th November to 11.00 PM of 12th November which can be further extended depending upon air quality in Delhi in coming days: Delhi Traffic Police — ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2017 × All neighboring Districts & States have been requested to deploy adequate manpower on their part at all Border Entry Points in their respective areas of jurisdiction and help Delhi Police in implementing the directions in true & letter and spirit: Delhi Traffic Police — ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2017 × The concerned authorities of the neighbouring have also been requested to ensure that flow of other motorists is not affected due to stoppage of entry of heavy and medium goods vehicles into Delhi from Border Entry Points: Delhi Traffic Police — ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2017 × The traffic police were following orders from the National Green Tribunal which had on Thursday ordered the shutting down of all construction and industrial activities till November 14. The NGT had also ordered the sealing of the border to all trucks and heavy vehicles. Delhi however still woke up to a polluted Friday, with a number of areas reporting air quality in the "hazardous" category. #Delhi's Mandir Marg at 515, Punjabi Bagh at 802, Anand Vihar at 571, Dwarka at 420 in Air Quality Index; all fall in the 'Hazardous' category. — ANI (@ANI) November 10, 2017 × Ghaziabad: Dense smog seen in Indirapuram in the early morning hours #UttarPradesh pic.twitter.com/SbMHolPB0y — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 10, 2017 × There is generally a dip in air quality in Delhi as winter approaches. The cooler air traps pollutants closer to the ground -- a phenomenon called inversion. Delhi Traffic Police said the banning of trucks could be extended beyond November 12 should there be no improvement in air quality. They added though that trucks carrying essentials were being allowed into the city. Vehicles with essential commodities are not being restricted by us, they are being allowed: DCP DK Gupta #Singhuborder pic.twitter.com/FXMyJEJy6u — ANI (@ANI) November 10, 2017 × In the meantime, schools have been shut in the city because of the pollution. And the city will undergo another odd-even round -- with cars with odd and even number plates allowed to play only on alternate days -- starting Monday.

Delhi Traffic Police shut shop, no more trucks allowed into city

<p>As India tries to figure out ways to combat toxic smog, Mexico can lend a helping hand. Melba Maria Pria Olavarrieta, Mexico&rsquo;s ambassador to India, has some suggestions.</p>

<p>&ldquo;We have worked on tackling pollution for 25 years, and we are here to share that experience. We did a lot of things like, like pushed&nbsp;all the industries out of the city limits, added&nbsp;catalytic converters in cars, changed type of fuel we were using. We buy about one million cars from India, and add catalytic converters in all of them. Ironically, the car I use here in India does not have any such device,&rdquo; Ms Olavarrieta said in an exclusive interview to WION.</p>

<p>She added, &ldquo;Pollution affects the life of everyone - you, me, our children. Pollution brings problems for economy because you have to spen too much to improve the air quality. So we need to have a long-term solution to the problem. Today we are talking so much&nbsp;about pollution because the air quality index has reached 800. In 10 days, when things will normalise, everyone will forget about this. This needs to change.&rdquo;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>File photo of Mexico&#39;s ambassador to India, Melba Maria Pria Olavarrieta (Facebook)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mexico has been battling pollution for years now. In 1992, the United Nations declared Mexico City the most polluted on the planet. It is said that Mexico City&#39;s air has gone from being among the world&#39;s cleanest to among the dirtiest.</p>

<p>&quot;We always keep our children inside whenever pollution level reaches 150. I didn&#39;t have lead in my blood when I was young, but my children do. And this is serious,&quot;&nbsp;Ms Olavarrieta said. &quot;We asked school children about the colour of the sky. Eighty per cent of the kids said it&#39;s grey. The half of remaining 20 per cent said it&#39;s brown, and only the remaining said it was blue.&quot;</p>

<p>There was no respite from toxic&nbsp;smog&nbsp;and dangerously high levels of air pollution for New Delhi on Friday with residents complaining of irritated eyes and respiratory problems.</p>

<p>Pollution in New Delhi has been hovering at alarming levels with air quality readings of tiny particulate matter PM 2.5 hitting over 796 on Friday, the most severe level on the government&#39;s scale. A reading of anything over 100 is considered unhealthy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PM 2.5 is particulate matter about 30 times finer than a human hair. The particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.</p>

<p>Residents complained of headaches, coughs and smarting eyes. Many stayed home and restaurants in some of the city&#39;s most crowded parts were deserted.</p>

<p>Illegal crop burning in the farm states surrounding New Delhi, vehicle exhaust emissions in a city with limited public transport and swirling construction dust have caused the crisis, which arises every year. The problem has been compounded this year by still conditions, the weather office said.</p>


There was no respite from toxic smog and dangerously high levels of air pollution for New Delhi on Friday with residents complaining of irritated eyes and respiratory problems.

As India tries to figure out ways to combat toxic smog, Mexico can lend a helping hand. Melba Maria Pria Olavarrieta, Mexico’s ambassador to India, has some suggestions. “We have worked on tackling pollution for 25 years, and we are here to share that experience. We did a lot of things like, like pushed all the industries out of the city limits, added catalytic converters in cars, changed type of fuel we were using. We buy about one million cars from India, and add catalytic converters in all of them. Ironically, the car I use here in India does not have any such device,” Ms Olavarrieta said in an exclusive interview to WION. She added, “Pollution affects the life of everyone - you, me, our children. Pollution brings problems for economy because you have to spen too much to improve the air quality. So we need to have a long-term solution to the problem. Today we are talking so much about pollution because the air quality index has reached 800. In 10 days, when things will normalise, everyone will forget about this. This needs to change.” File photo of Mexico's ambassador to India, Melba Maria Pria Olavarrieta (Facebook) × Mexico has been battling pollution for years now. In 1992, the United Nations declared Mexico City the most polluted on the planet. It is said that Mexico City's air has gone from being among the world's cleanest to among the dirtiest. "We always keep our children inside whenever pollution level reaches 150. I didn't have lead in my blood when I was young, but my children do. And this is serious," Ms Olavarrieta said. "We asked school children about the colour of the sky. Eighty per cent of the kids said it's grey. The half of remaining 20 per cent said it's brown, and only the remaining said it was blue." There was no respite from toxic smog and dangerously high levels of air pollution for New Delhi on Friday with residents complaining of irritated eyes and respiratory problems. Pollution in New Delhi has been hovering at alarming levels with air quality readings of tiny particulate matter PM 2.5 hitting over 796 on Friday, the most severe level on the government's scale. A reading of anything over 100 is considered unhealthy. PM 2.5 is particulate matter about 30 times finer than a human hair. The particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases. Residents complained of headaches, coughs and smarting eyes. Many stayed home and restaurants in some of the city's most crowded parts were deserted. Illegal crop burning in the farm states surrounding New Delhi, vehicle exhaust emissions in a city with limited public transport and swirling construction dust have caused the crisis, which arises every year. The problem has been compounded this year by still conditions, the weather office said.

Toxic smog: How Mexico can help Delhi

<p>The air quality in&nbsp;Delhi Thursday morning was &quot;hazardous&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>ANI reported that the air-quality index (AQI) pegged Punjabi Bagh at 799, Dwarka at 388, Shadipur at 362, and Anand Vihar at 515 -- all of them falling in the hazardous category.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>&#39;s Punjabi Bagh at 799, Dwarka 388, Shadipur 362,Anand Vihar 515 in Air Quality Index; all fall in the &#39;Hazardous&#39; category</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928454631499350016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>ANI reported air quality earlier in the morning (at around 6.30 am) as falling in the &quot;severe&quot; category but by about 8.30 am, it had moved to hazardous.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Smog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Smog</a> seen in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>&#39;s Lodhi road area in the early morning hours; Air Quality of the area-prominent pollutants PM 10 &amp; PM 2.5 in &#39;severe&#39; category <a href="https://t.co/XL0l1lLWJe">pic.twitter.com/XL0l1lLWJe</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928432104098078720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>ANI also added that 41 trains travelling to Delhi had been delayed due to the smog, that nine had been rescheduled, and 10 cancelled.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There were no reports of any planes being delayed by the smog.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There has been a sudden dip in air quality in Delhi ever since Diwali.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While firecrackers were banned this year on Diwali, Delhi generally experiences a severe dip in air quality with the onset of winter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The cooler air traps pollutants closer the ground, preventing them from dispersing into the atmosphere, a phenomenon known as &quot;inversion&quot;.</p>

<p>The burning of crop stubble in neighbouring states adds to the pollution.&nbsp;</p>


Nine trains were rescheduled and 10 cancelled

The air quality in Delhi Thursday morning was "hazardous". ANI reported that the air-quality index (AQI) pegged Punjabi Bagh at 799, Dwarka at 388, Shadipur at 362, and Anand Vihar at 515 -- all of them falling in the hazardous category. #Delhi's Punjabi Bagh at 799, Dwarka 388, Shadipur 362,Anand Vihar 515 in Air Quality Index; all fall in the 'Hazardous' category — ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2017 × ANI reported air quality earlier in the morning (at around 6.30 am) as falling in the "severe" category but by about 8.30 am, it had moved to hazardous. #Smog seen in #Delhi's Lodhi road area in the early morning hours; Air Quality of the area-prominent pollutants PM 10 & PM 2.5 in 'severe' category pic.twitter.com/XL0l1lLWJe — ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2017 × ANI also added that 41 trains travelling to Delhi had been delayed due to the smog, that nine had been rescheduled, and 10 cancelled. There were no reports of any planes being delayed by the smog. There has been a sudden dip in air quality in Delhi ever since Diwali. While firecrackers were banned this year on Diwali, Delhi generally experiences a severe dip in air quality with the onset of winter. The cooler air traps pollutants closer the ground, preventing them from dispersing into the atmosphere, a phenomenon known as "inversion". The burning of crop stubble in neighbouring states adds to the pollution.

Delhi: Air quality 'hazardous'; 41 trains delayed by smog

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