<p>Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan has claimed that the high level of dangerous pollution surrounding Delhi is no cause for alarm.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to reports, Vardhan has said that with just &#39;routine precautions&#39; the situation can get under control and there is no such <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/watch-pollution-hits-dangerous-level-doctors-declare-health-emergency-6544">&#39;emergency&#39; which doctors have declared</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He has further gone on and justified that the &#39;Bhopal gas tragedy&#39; was, in actuality, an emergency and the situation right now is nothing close.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bhopal Gas tragedy, the world&#39;s worst industrial disaster took the lives of 25,000 people in 1984.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said in an interview with the media that &nbsp;&#39;the Bhopal situation was a real crisis, where you have to panic and see what to do&#39;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;m not saying we shouldn&#39;t do anything about it, everyone has to respond to what he is supposed to do. But there is no need to spread panic among the people,&quot; Vardhan told the media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>People took to Twitter in rage and expressed their thoughts.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Science &amp; environment minister Harsh Vardhan says don&#39;t spread panic on foul air, it&#39;s not like Bhopal gas leak, so no emergency. Take routine precautions. Yes sir, when your house develops cracks and begins to shake, be calm. Remember, it&#39;s not an earthquake</p>
&mdash; Subhendu Mukherjee (@subhendujee) <a href="https://twitter.com/subhendujee/status/930621985641529344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">No death certificate has the cause of death as pollution. No need to spread panic. Benchmark for an emergency is the Bhopal gas tragedy. And ladies and gentleman, this statement comes from Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was a former Health Minister. Slow Claps ??</p>
&mdash; Aayush Sharma (ANI) (@AayushPrime) <a href="https://twitter.com/AayushPrime/status/930500942960648192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>In Delhi on Tuesday, levels of PM2.5 - the tiny harmful particulates which can cause health issues were around 400 according to the US embassy website, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/delhi-choking-government-calls-emergency-meeting-over-alarming-pollution-levels-8400">deep in the &quot;hazardous&quot; level.</a></p>

<p>Delhi is said to be the world&#39;s most polluted capital according to the WHO, exceeding pollution levels in Beijing.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


According to reports, Vardhan has said that with just 'routine precautions' the situation can get under control and there is no such 'emergency' which doctors have declared.?

Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan has claimed that the high level of dangerous pollution surrounding Delhi is no cause for alarm. According to reports, Vardhan has said that with just 'routine precautions' the situation can get under control and there is no such 'emergency' which doctors have declared. He has further gone on and justified that the 'Bhopal gas tragedy' was, in actuality, an emergency and the situation right now is nothing close. Bhopal Gas tragedy, the world's worst industrial disaster took the lives of 25,000 people in 1984. He said in an interview with the media that 'the Bhopal situation was a real crisis, where you have to panic and see what to do' "I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything about it, everyone has to respond to what he is supposed to do. But there is no need to spread panic among the people," Vardhan told the media. People took to Twitter in rage and expressed their thoughts. Science & environment minister Harsh Vardhan says don't spread panic on foul air, it's not like Bhopal gas leak, so no emergency. Take routine precautions. Yes sir, when your house develops cracks and begins to shake, be calm. Remember, it's not an earthquake — Subhendu Mukherjee (@subhendujee) November 15, 2017 × No death certificate has the cause of death as pollution. No need to spread panic. Benchmark for an emergency is the Bhopal gas tragedy. And ladies and gentleman, this statement comes from Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was a former Health Minister. Slow Claps ?? — Aayush Sharma (ANI) (@AayushPrime) November 14, 2017 × In Delhi on Tuesday, levels of PM2.5 - the tiny harmful particulates which can cause health issues were around 400 according to the US embassy website, deep in the "hazardous" level. Delhi is said to be the world's most polluted capital according to the WHO, exceeding pollution levels in Beijing.

'No need to panic, it's not Bhopal gas tragedy', says Harsh Vardhan on Delhi pollution

<p>The Delhi High Court has issued a notice <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/odd-even-wont-help-centre-ready-to-step-in-nitin-gadkari-on-delhi-pollution-24173">to the Delhi government and other agencies over&nbsp;</a>postponement of Delhi Half Marathon due to poor air quality.</p>

<p>The Indian Medical Association had filed a plea in the High Court to postpone the Delhi half marathon due to held on November 19th.</p>

<p>The High Court asked the Kejriwal government including the Delhi pollution control committee, police and the organizers of the marathon to&nbsp;appraise the court on whether the half marathon event should be held on Sunday.</p>

<p>On Monday, the Supreme Court had issued notices to Center, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi governments on the petition on stubble burning and dust pollution. India&#39;s top court had sought expeditious action from the authorities.</p>

<p>The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned construction and industrial activities in Delhi-NCR till November 14 as pollution levels rose alarmingly in the national capital.</p>

<p>&quot;It is shameful for all the parties in this matter on what they&#39;re passing on to the next generation,&quot; the tribunal had observed.</p>


NGT had banned construction and industrial activities in Delhi-NCR till November 14 as pollution levels rose alarmingly in the national capital.

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Delhi government and other agencies over postponement of Delhi Half Marathon due to poor air quality. The Indian Medical Association had filed a plea in the High Court to postpone the Delhi half marathon due to held on November 19th. The High Court asked the Kejriwal government including the Delhi pollution control committee, police and the organizers of the marathon to appraise the court on whether the half marathon event should be held on Sunday. On Monday, the Supreme Court had issued notices to Center, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi governments on the petition on stubble burning and dust pollution. India's top court had sought expeditious action from the authorities. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned construction and industrial activities in Delhi-NCR till November 14 as pollution levels rose alarmingly in the national capital. "It is shameful for all the parties in this matter on what they're passing on to the next generation," the tribunal had observed.

Pollution levels: High Court issues notice to Delhi government over half marathon

<p>Around four lakh four-wheelers will be seized in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=national" target="_blank">National&nbsp;</a>Capital Region, said the Transport Department on Friday.</p>

<p>The decision has been taken after the tough stance of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=national" target="_blank">National&nbsp;</a>Green Tribunal (NGT) over pollution.</p>

<p>According to the department, 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles will be seized in the NCR districts.</p>

<p>Apart from this, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=uttar+pradesh" target="_blank">Uttar Pradesh&nbsp;</a>Pollution Control Board has also issued strict instructions to a dozen departments to reduce pollution in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=uttar+pradesh" target="_blank">Uttar Pradesh.</a></p>

<p>On October 17, The Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority on banned diesel generators in Delhi, barring those used in metros and hospitals.</p>

<p>The decision came in the wake of degrading air quality in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=national" target="_blank">national&nbsp;</a>capital, which entered into the &#39;Red Zone&#39;.</p>

<p>The Supreme&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=court" target="_blank">Court&nbsp;</a>had also banned sale of firecrackers during the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=diwali" target="_blank">Diwali&nbsp;</a>to contain pollution levels in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=national" target="_blank">national&nbsp;</a>capital.</p>

<p>Prior to this, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=government" target="_blank">government&nbsp;</a>had issued prohibitory orders on stubble burning, as it had become a major concern for authorities, resulting in air pollution as well as reduction in soil fertility.</p>

<p>Following the orders of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&amp;q=national" target="_blank">National&nbsp;</a>Green Tribunal (NGT), state governments and district administration tightened strictures against stubble burning, and booked charges against farmers, who are not following orders.</p>


According to the department, 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles will be seized in the NCR districts.

Around four lakh four-wheelers will be seized in the National Capital Region, said the Transport Department on Friday. The decision has been taken after the tough stance of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over pollution. According to the department, 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles will be seized in the NCR districts. Apart from this, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board has also issued strict instructions to a dozen departments to reduce pollution in Uttar Pradesh. On October 17, The Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority on banned diesel generators in Delhi, barring those used in metros and hospitals. The decision came in the wake of degrading air quality in the national capital, which entered into the 'Red Zone'. The Supreme Court had also banned sale of firecrackers during the Diwali to contain pollution levels in the national capital. Prior to this, the government had issued prohibitory orders on stubble burning, as it had become a major concern for authorities, resulting in air pollution as well as reduction in soil fertility. Following the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), state governments and district administration tightened strictures against stubble burning, and booked charges against farmers, who are not following orders.

Four lakh four-wheelers will be seized in NCR: Delhi Transport minister

<p>India&#39;s emissions of the air pollutant sulphur<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"> dioxide increased by 50 </a><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">per cent</a><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"> since 2007, while China&#39;s fell by 75 percent,</a> claims a study which found that India is yet to implement emission controls like its neighbour.</p>

<p>The study led by researchers at the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/smog-emergency-govt-plans-to-spray-water-on-delhi-from-a-height-of-100-metres-23913">University of Maryland in the US suggests that India is becoming</a>, if it is not already, the world&#39;s top sulphur dioxide emitter.</p>

<p>Sulphur dioxide is an air pollutant that causes acid rain, haze and many health-related problems. It is produced predominantly when coal is burned to generate electricity.</p>

<p>&quot;The rapid decrease of sulphur dioxide emissions in China far exceeds expectations and projections,&quot; said Can Li, an associate research scientist at University of Maryland.</p>

<p>&quot;This suggests that China is implementing sulphur dioxide controls beyond what climate modellers have taken into account,&quot; said Li, first author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.</p>

<p>China and India are the world&#39;s top consumers of coal, which typically contains up to three per cent sulphur, researchers said.</p>

<p>Most of the two countries&#39; sulphur dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power plants and coal-burning factories.</p>

<p>In particular, Beijing suffers from severe haze problems because of the many coal-burning factories and power plants located nearby and upwind.</p>

<p>Starting in the early 2000s, China began implementing policies such as fining polluters, setting emission reduction goals and lowering emissions limits.</p>

<p>According to the results of the current study, these efforts are paying off.</p>

<p>&quot;Sulphur dioxide levels in China declined dramatically even though coal usage increased by approximately 50 per cent and electricity generation grew by over 100 per cent,&quot; said Li, who is also a research associate at NASA&#39;s Goddard Space Flight Center.</p>

<p>&quot;This suggests that much of the reduction is coming from controlling emissions,&quot; said Li.</p>

<p>Despite China&#39;s 75 per cent drop in sulphur dioxide emissions, recent work by other scientists has shown that the country&#39;s air quality remains poor and continues to cause significant health problems.</p>

<p>This may be because sulphur dioxide contributes to only about 10 to 20 per cent of the air particles that cause haze, according to Li.</p>

<p>By contrast, India&#39;s sulphur dioxide emissions increased by 50 per cent over the past decade. The country opened its largest coal-fired power plant in 2012 and has yet to implement emission controls like China, researchers said.</p>

<p>&quot;Right now, India&#39;s increased sulphur dioxide emissions are not causing as many health or haze problems as they do in China because the largest emission sources are not in the most densely populated area of India,&quot; Li said.</p>

<p>&quot;However, as demand for electricity grows in India, the impact may worsen,&quot; said Li.</p>

<p>To generate an accurate profile of emissions over India and China, the researchers combined emissions data generated by two different methods.</p>

<p>First, they collected estimated emission amounts from inventories of the number of factories, power plants, automobiles and other contributors to sulphur dioxide emissions.</p>

<p>The researchers&#39; second data source was the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA&#39;s Aura satellite, which detects a variety of atmospheric pollutants including sulphur dioxide.&nbsp;</p>


The study led by researchers at the University of Maryland in the US suggests that India is becoming, the world's top sulphur dioxide emitter.

India's emissions of the air pollutant sulphur dioxide increased by 50 per cent since 2007, while China's fell by 75 percent, claims a study which found that India is yet to implement emission controls like its neighbour. The study led by researchers at the University of Maryland in the US suggests that India is becoming, if it is not already, the world's top sulphur dioxide emitter. Sulphur dioxide is an air pollutant that causes acid rain, haze and many health-related problems. It is produced predominantly when coal is burned to generate electricity. "The rapid decrease of sulphur dioxide emissions in China far exceeds expectations and projections," said Can Li, an associate research scientist at University of Maryland. "This suggests that China is implementing sulphur dioxide controls beyond what climate modellers have taken into account," said Li, first author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports. China and India are the world's top consumers of coal, which typically contains up to three per cent sulphur, researchers said. Most of the two countries' sulphur dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power plants and coal-burning factories. In particular, Beijing suffers from severe haze problems because of the many coal-burning factories and power plants located nearby and upwind. Starting in the early 2000s, China began implementing policies such as fining polluters, setting emission reduction goals and lowering emissions limits. According to the results of the current study, these efforts are paying off. "Sulphur dioxide levels in China declined dramatically even though coal usage increased by approximately 50 per cent and electricity generation grew by over 100 per cent," said Li, who is also a research associate at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "This suggests that much of the reduction is coming from controlling emissions," said Li. Despite China's 75 per cent drop in sulphur dioxide emissions, recent work by other scientists has shown that the country's air quality remains poor and continues to cause significant health problems. This may be because sulphur dioxide contributes to only about 10 to 20 per cent of the air particles that cause haze, according to Li. By contrast, India's sulphur dioxide emissions increased by 50 per cent over the past decade. The country opened its largest coal-fired power plant in 2012 and has yet to implement emission controls like China, researchers said. "Right now, India's increased sulphur dioxide emissions are not causing as many health or haze problems as they do in China because the largest emission sources are not in the most densely populated area of India," Li said. "However, as demand for electricity grows in India, the impact may worsen," said Li. To generate an accurate profile of emissions over India and China, the researchers combined emissions data generated by two different methods. First, they collected estimated emission amounts from inventories of the number of factories, power plants, automobiles and other contributors to sulphur dioxide emissions. The researchers' second data source was the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite, which detects a variety of atmospheric pollutants including sulphur dioxide.

Impact of India's sulphur dioxide emissions may soon worsen: US study

<p>The National Green tribunal said <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-traffic-police-to-restrict-entry-of-goods-vehicles-23864">today that the Delhi government should prove whether</a> the odd-even scheme has reduced pollution in the past or else it &quot;will stay the imposition of the rule&quot;.</p>

<p>On Thursday, the Delhi government decided to enforce the odd-even number scheme for private vehicles as pollution levels in the capital rose alarmingly.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;When the situation is improving, the government is trying to implement it. You should have done this earlier if you wanted to. This will now cause inconvenience to people,&quot; NGT said.</p>

<p>The hearing will continue tomorrow.</p>

<p>&quot;Keeping in mind the environmental emergency and odd-even, a special NGT bench will sit tomorrow, on a holiday and the Delhi government will have to answer why odd-even is necessary to be implemented now,&quot;&nbsp;Gaurav Bansal, lawyer in odd-even implementation matter in NGT, said.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said today that Delhiites can travel free in all DTC and cluster buses next week when the odd-even scheme for private cars gets underway.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">To encourage use of public transport during Odd- Even, Delhi govt to allow free travel for commuters in all DTC and Cluster buses from 13-17 November.</p>
&mdash; Kailash Gahlot (@kgahlot) <a href="https://twitter.com/kgahlot/status/928903202879127552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&quot;To encourage use of public transport during Odd-Even, Delhi govt to allow free travel for commuters in all DTC and Cluster buses from 13-17 November,&quot; Gahlot said in&nbsp;tweet.</p>

<p>Delhi chief minister Kejriwal added it will encourage people to switch to public transport.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This will encourage people to switch to public transport <a href="https://t.co/W3fPf4NL8C">https://t.co/W3fPf4NL8C</a></p>
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/928903842829279233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


On Thursday, the Delhi government decided to enforce the odd-even number scheme for private vehicles as pollution levels in the capital rose alarmingly.?

The National Green tribunal said today that the Delhi government should prove whether the odd-even scheme has reduced pollution in the past or else it "will stay the imposition of the rule". On Thursday, the Delhi government decided to enforce the odd-even number scheme for private vehicles as pollution levels in the capital rose alarmingly. "When the situation is improving, the government is trying to implement it. You should have done this earlier if you wanted to. This will now cause inconvenience to people," NGT said. The hearing will continue tomorrow. "Keeping in mind the environmental emergency and odd-even, a special NGT bench will sit tomorrow, on a holiday and the Delhi government will have to answer why odd-even is necessary to be implemented now," Gaurav Bansal, lawyer in odd-even implementation matter in NGT, said. Meanwhile, Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said today that Delhiites can travel free in all DTC and cluster buses next week when the odd-even scheme for private cars gets underway. To encourage use of public transport during Odd- Even, Delhi govt to allow free travel for commuters in all DTC and Cluster buses from 13-17 November. — Kailash Gahlot (@kgahlot) November 10, 2017 × "To encourage use of public transport during Odd-Even, Delhi govt to allow free travel for commuters in all DTC and Cluster buses from 13-17 November," Gahlot said in tweet. Delhi chief minister Kejriwal added it will encourage people to switch to public transport. This will encourage people to switch to public transport https://t.co/W3fPf4NL8C — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 10, 2017 ×

Delhi government should prove odd-even has worked, else will stay imposition of the rule: NGT

<p>It has many names. It descends annually. It stalks and descends slowly covering every nook and corner of my city. Once it&rsquo;s there you know the beast has arrived. It is insidious but unpretentious as it is always on your face. It is silent but visible. Like a hug which slowly smothers you.</p>

<p>In the past, homes and offices acted as fragile but workable borders but this time they too gave away like sand castles on a beach.</p>

<p>The silent killer envelopes the city like mother&rsquo;s love covering all and sundry. From the sky, the beast looks even more fascinating. Still but working effortlessly and nibbling away our insides slowly. The beauty of the beast is that it just doesn&rsquo;t discriminate.</p>

<p>It is also mysterious in its origin. No one knows as to who is responsible for its coming. Some in past suggested that it was pre-ordained but rest continue to blame everyone for its becoming. So, the talk remains a conversation or like a whisper but never an outrage.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>I think we all have an idea of what is eating our flesh gently.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I think we all have an idea of what is eating our flesh gently.

" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>I often ask myself as to why we have failed to beat the beast? Is it the lack of will? Or, are we uninformed about its anatomy? I don&rsquo;t think so. I think we all have an idea of what is eating our flesh gently.</p>

<p>The beast has been unbearable and selfish this year. It incapacitated a lot of people. Victims had to rush to buy the best protection. Though some were plain faint hearts. They collapsed and passed away. Quickly.</p>

<p>Misery also creates good business opportunities. Two of my friends did well. They ended up making a good money. Last, I heard that left for La La Land with their children. I hate them for their entrepreneurship. They were smart enough to invest in the industry of precaution where new and better coping mechanisms are being designed. It is collaborative and remains profitable. I have also been told that it will continue to grow.</p>

<p>Perhaps, my despair stems from the fact that I cannot escape as quickly as I want. I cannot fight it. It cannot be fought alone. That&rsquo;s the shield of the beast.</p>

<p>Sometimes it also gives you relief from the drudgery of the world. For hours, it makes shanties in front of my multi-story apartment disappear. Though I can smell the dirty shanty town. Obviously, the beast also has a chink in its armour. It can make ugly things disappear temporarily but cannot hide the stench.</p>

<p>So, I often take little chances by immersing myself in his shadow. It smells slightly acidic. Obviously not like rotten eggs but bearable enough to remind me of my childhood of a different entity, a more benign one, which would descend on us on yearly basis. It had a similar look but spared us. Like a separated, civilised twin.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>We all fail to agree on a strategy to beat the shit out of it.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=We all fail to agree on a strategy to beat the shit out of it." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Those were yesteryears. In the past, everyone knew with winter comes the fog. There was no panic or little precaution. But these days we all have to brace ourselves, waiting anxiously for its twin to spare us. We all fail to agree on a strategy to beat the shit out of it. It is not as if the &lsquo;us&rsquo; isn&rsquo;t concerned but it doesn&rsquo;t motivate anyone to remove the head from the monster&rsquo;s body.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Relief is that no one dies immediately. It begins with a gentle cough. It persists like a heartbeat to turn itself into a different creature inside you. Though many similar cases have been reported.</p>

<p>Those who ultimately die have millions of things to blame upon unlike the other types of malevolences where a finger can be pointed. Last year in a nearby hospital, a lot of women died because of dirty syringes. The doctor got lynched. There is no one to lynch here. I suppose it is impossible to lynch your-self and suicide is illegal in my country. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Then the city I live in has a robust democratic tradition. We all agree to disagree. Last Diwali, I couldn&rsquo;t even convince my aunt to ensure a Green Diwali.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Since everyone is complicit it doesn&rsquo;t make great politics either. There no one person to blame.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Since everyone is complicit it doesn?t make great politics either. There no one person to blame.

" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Half the population believes that neighbouring settlements, with their cars and crops, high-rises and power plants, feed the beast. In passing the blame they deny their complicity in the act.</p>

<p>Since everyone is complicit it doesn&rsquo;t make great politics either. There no one person to blame.</p>

<p>Somehow it ends up becoming a debate on everything else. Last year we all decided to stay home and bid time. Then, US election happened,&nbsp; leaving us feeling much worse than this nasty creature masquerading as velvet sheet. Fortunately, with sudden rain, the beast vanished in few days. We all cheered as the despair melted away. It was back to business as usual.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For the next time, I will rush to the forest when the insidious arrives. If the woodlands succumb to sprawling cities, and the beast comes knocking there too, I would run away to another hole.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As it has been accepted that it is better to escape than fight. I have also chosen to escape.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But if the smog does get me, then I would pray that it does me in my sleep. As it has done for many.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The silent killer envelopes the city like mother?s love covering all and sundry.

It has many names. It descends annually. It stalks and descends slowly covering every nook and corner of my city. Once it’s there you know the beast has arrived. It is insidious but unpretentious as it is always on your face. It is silent but visible. Like a hug which slowly smothers you. In the past, homes and offices acted as fragile but workable borders but this time they too gave away like sand castles on a beach. The silent killer envelopes the city like mother’s love covering all and sundry. From the sky, the beast looks even more fascinating. Still but working effortlessly and nibbling away our insides slowly. The beauty of the beast is that it just doesn’t discriminate. It is also mysterious in its origin. No one knows as to who is responsible for its coming. Some in past suggested that it was pre-ordained but rest continue to blame everyone for its becoming. So, the talk remains a conversation or like a whisper but never an outrage. I think we all have an idea of what is eating our flesh gently. × I often ask myself as to why we have failed to beat the beast? Is it the lack of will? Or, are we uninformed about its anatomy? I don’t think so. I think we all have an idea of what is eating our flesh gently. The beast has been unbearable and selfish this year. It incapacitated a lot of people. Victims had to rush to buy the best protection. Though some were plain faint hearts. They collapsed and passed away. Quickly. Misery also creates good business opportunities. Two of my friends did well. They ended up making a good money. Last, I heard that left for La La Land with their children. I hate them for their entrepreneurship. They were smart enough to invest in the industry of precaution where new and better coping mechanisms are being designed. It is collaborative and remains profitable. I have also been told that it will continue to grow. Perhaps, my despair stems from the fact that I cannot escape as quickly as I want. I cannot fight it. It cannot be fought alone. That’s the shield of the beast. Sometimes it also gives you relief from the drudgery of the world. For hours, it makes shanties in front of my multi-story apartment disappear. Though I can smell the dirty shanty town. Obviously, the beast also has a chink in its armour. It can make ugly things disappear temporarily but cannot hide the stench. So, I often take little chances by immersing myself in his shadow. It smells slightly acidic. Obviously not like rotten eggs but bearable enough to remind me of my childhood of a different entity, a more benign one, which would descend on us on yearly basis. It had a similar look but spared us. Like a separated, civilised twin. We all fail to agree on a strategy to beat the shit out of it. × Those were yesteryears. In the past, everyone knew with winter comes the fog. There was no panic or little precaution. But these days we all have to brace ourselves, waiting anxiously for its twin to spare us. We all fail to agree on a strategy to beat the shit out of it. It is not as if the ‘us’ isn’t concerned but it doesn’t motivate anyone to remove the head from the monster’s body. Relief is that no one dies immediately. It begins with a gentle cough. It persists like a heartbeat to turn itself into a different creature inside you. Though many similar cases have been reported. Those who ultimately die have millions of things to blame upon unlike the other types of malevolences where a finger can be pointed. Last year in a nearby hospital, a lot of women died because of dirty syringes. The doctor got lynched. There is no one to lynch here. I suppose it is impossible to lynch your-self and suicide is illegal in my country. Then the city I live in has a robust democratic tradition. We all agree to disagree. Last Diwali, I couldn’t even convince my aunt to ensure a Green Diwali. Since everyone is complicit it doesn’t make great politics either. There no one person to blame. × Half the population believes that neighbouring settlements, with their cars and crops, high-rises and power plants, feed the beast. In passing the blame they deny their complicity in the act. Since everyone is complicit it doesn’t make great politics either. There no one person to blame. Somehow it ends up becoming a debate on everything else. Last year we all decided to stay home and bid time. Then, US election happened, leaving us feeling much worse than this nasty creature masquerading as velvet sheet. Fortunately, with sudden rain, the beast vanished in few days. We all cheered as the despair melted away. It was back to business as usual. For the next time, I will rush to the forest when the insidious arrives. If the woodlands succumb to sprawling cities, and the beast comes knocking there too, I would run away to another hole. As it has been accepted that it is better to escape than fight. I have also chosen to escape. But if the smog does get me, then I would pray that it does me in my sleep. As it has done for many.

Delhi pollution: My city is killing me, softly

<p>The fog in northern India <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/10-students-died-in-accident-due-to-fog-in-bhatinda-23747">has triggered another series of horrific vehicle crashes</a> in Haryana&#39;s Palwal district.</p>

<p>At least two dozen vehicles collided leading to several people being injured.&nbsp;</p>

<p>All those who have been injured were admitted to a government hospital nearby, with reports of at least one person being killed.</p>

<p>On Wednesday, dense fog in Bhatinda, Punjab had resulted in a huge accident leading to the death of at least 10 students with at least 25 others injured.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The low visibility due to the smog in Bhatinda had led to the collision of four vehicles.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


All those who have been injured were admitted to a government hospital nearby, with reports of at least one person being killed.

The fog in northern India has triggered another series of horrific vehicle crashes in Haryana's Palwal district. At least two dozen vehicles collided leading to several people being injured. All those who have been injured were admitted to a government hospital nearby, with reports of at least one person being killed. On Wednesday, dense fog in Bhatinda, Punjab had resulted in a huge accident leading to the death of at least 10 students with at least 25 others injured. The low visibility due to the smog in Bhatinda had led to the collision of four vehicles.

Watch: Two dozen vehicles collide due to fog in Haryana, several injured

<p style="text-align: justify;">&ldquo;If winters are here can the smog be far behind?&rdquo;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">If you live in Delhi or for that matter in north-west India, chances are you must have listened to this resigned lament at least once every year before the onset of winters.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Smog, a combination of smoke and fog, has a corrosive quality and plays havoc with your respiratory system. In Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region (NCR), the problem has grown over the years and has assumed dangerous proportions during the last decade and a half.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">During the 1980s and 90s, the problem of smoke and smog had started raising its ugly head but at that time the reasons were different. The use of diesel as fuel in buses and auto-rickshaws as well as the indiscriminate burning of waste was considered to be the main culprits. So when the city shifted to CNG (compressed natural gas) for autos and buses, there was an immediate improvement in the ambient air quality.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Smog, a combination of smoke and fog, has a corrosive quality and plays havoc with your respiratory system.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Smog, a combination of smoke and fog, has a corrosive quality and plays havoc with your respiratory system." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p style="text-align: justify;">However, in the first decade of the 21st century, all the gains made due to the implementation of CNG were lost because of a host of reasons. &nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Still, the menace can be fought but a multipronged action needs to be taken in a mission mode.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">But before talking about the solutions we should know the causes of smog in Delhi and the limitations they will put on the solutions implemented in the future.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Delhi is geographically predisposed to suffer from the haze. Proximity to arid zones of Rajasthan, increasing desertification coupled with erratic wind flow patterns during winter creates a situation where even moderate pollution can lead to long spells of haze.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Adding to this, many new and old sources of pollution have conspired to choke Delhi in the last two decades. &nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Right now the city suffers from smog due to four main reasons &ndash; burning of crop stubble in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, the presence of polluting industries in the NCR region, very high density of diesel-run automobiles as well as constant and widespread construction activities.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Let&rsquo;s begin with crop residue burning. Earlier, when the crops were harvested by hand, they would get easily mixed with the soil when tractors were used since the stubbles left behind were very small. Now long staffs of stubbles are left behind because of the mechanised thrashers and harvesters, leaving no option for the farmers but to burn them.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Technicians, scientists and engineers should come together to find a solution to this problem on an emergency basis and the government should financially help the farmers to introduce new methods of harvesting their crops once they are in place. Penalising them alone wouldn&rsquo;t work.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Now long staffs of stubbles are left behind because of the mechanised thrashers and harvesters, leaving no option for the farmers but to burn them.&nbsp;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text= Now long staffs of stubbles are left behind because of the mechanised thrashers and harvesters, leaving no option for the farmers but to burn them.?

" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Most of the industries, in and around Delhi fall into the category of MSMEs or Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises. They use diesel and furnace oil, two of the most polluting fuels, as their sources of energy.&nbsp;A thorough research has already been done and various government agencies suggest that a cleaner fuel in the form of natural gas is available and can readily be provided to these industries.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The industry, on the other hand, fears it will escalate their cost of production and make their product unviable in the market. The government should sponsor a scheme to compulsorily change their fuel use.&nbsp;We should remember that these small enterprises operate on very little margins so they would need government help to make a transition to cleaner fuel. Tax holidays and soft loans to implement fuel transition and technology installation can be a way forward.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Third, there should be a complete ban on construction activities between the months of October to March.&nbsp;In a growing economy, construction activities will happen and should happen. But it should be made time specific in the context of NCR to stop its ill effect on health during a season which increases pollutant levels in the air.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Fourth, is automobiles. Here, the people&rsquo;s participation is needed. The government should seriously consider banning certain types of automobiles for personal use, especially diesel driven SUVs and other big cars, and encourage people to use public transport as much as they can.&nbsp;For this, the government will also have to provide last mile connectivity and improved bus services which are reliable and comfortable. Bicycle lanes should be strictly followed and a heavy penalty should be imposed on those who violate it.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Finally, the coal-fired power plant in Delhi should be phased out and the government should force the distribution companies to source electricity from gas-fired power plants and solar farms from Rajasthan.&nbsp;It may increase the power bills a bit, but that&rsquo;s a small price to pay for clean and healthy air.&nbsp;</p>


Delhi chokes from burning of crop stubble in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, the presence of polluting industries in the NCR region, very high density of diesel-run automobiles as well as constant and widespread construction activities.?

“If winters are here can the smog be far behind?” If you live in Delhi or for that matter in north-west India, chances are you must have listened to this resigned lament at least once every year before the onset of winters. Smog, a combination of smoke and fog, has a corrosive quality and plays havoc with your respiratory system. In Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region (NCR), the problem has grown over the years and has assumed dangerous proportions during the last decade and a half. During the 1980s and 90s, the problem of smoke and smog had started raising its ugly head but at that time the reasons were different. The use of diesel as fuel in buses and auto-rickshaws as well as the indiscriminate burning of waste was considered to be the main culprits. So when the city shifted to CNG (compressed natural gas) for autos and buses, there was an immediate improvement in the ambient air quality. Smog, a combination of smoke and fog, has a corrosive quality and plays havoc with your respiratory system. × However, in the first decade of the 21st century, all the gains made due to the implementation of CNG were lost because of a host of reasons. Still, the menace can be fought but a multipronged action needs to be taken in a mission mode. But before talking about the solutions we should know the causes of smog in Delhi and the limitations they will put on the solutions implemented in the future. Delhi is geographically predisposed to suffer from the haze. Proximity to arid zones of Rajasthan, increasing desertification coupled with erratic wind flow patterns during winter creates a situation where even moderate pollution can lead to long spells of haze. Adding to this, many new and old sources of pollution have conspired to choke Delhi in the last two decades. Right now the city suffers from smog due to four main reasons – burning of crop stubble in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, the presence of polluting industries in the NCR region, very high density of diesel-run automobiles as well as constant and widespread construction activities. Let’s begin with crop residue burning. Earlier, when the crops were harvested by hand, they would get easily mixed with the soil when tractors were used since the stubbles left behind were very small. Now long staffs of stubbles are left behind because of the mechanised thrashers and harvesters, leaving no option for the farmers but to burn them. Technicians, scientists and engineers should come together to find a solution to this problem on an emergency basis and the government should financially help the farmers to introduce new methods of harvesting their crops once they are in place. Penalising them alone wouldn’t work. Now long staffs of stubbles are left behind because of the mechanised thrashers and harvesters, leaving no option for the farmers but to burn them. × Most of the industries, in and around Delhi fall into the category of MSMEs or Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises. They use diesel and furnace oil, two of the most polluting fuels, as their sources of energy. A thorough research has already been done and various government agencies suggest that a cleaner fuel in the form of natural gas is available and can readily be provided to these industries. The industry, on the other hand, fears it will escalate their cost of production and make their product unviable in the market. The government should sponsor a scheme to compulsorily change their fuel use. We should remember that these small enterprises operate on very little margins so they would need government help to make a transition to cleaner fuel. Tax holidays and soft loans to implement fuel transition and technology installation can be a way forward. Third, there should be a complete ban on construction activities between the months of October to March. In a growing economy, construction activities will happen and should happen. But it should be made time specific in the context of NCR to stop its ill effect on health during a season which increases pollutant levels in the air. Fourth, is automobiles. Here, the people’s participation is needed. The government should seriously consider banning certain types of automobiles for personal use, especially diesel driven SUVs and other big cars, and encourage people to use public transport as much as they can. For this, the government will also have to provide last mile connectivity and improved bus services which are reliable and comfortable. Bicycle lanes should be strictly followed and a heavy penalty should be imposed on those who violate it. Finally, the coal-fired power plant in Delhi should be phased out and the government should force the distribution companies to source electricity from gas-fired power plants and solar farms from Rajasthan. It may increase the power bills a bit, but that’s a small price to pay for clean and healthy air.

Smog: No easy way out for Delhi

<p>Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-pollution-public-health-emergency-primary-schools-to-remain-closed-today-23699">today that all schools will remain closed </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-pollution-public-health-emergency-primary-schools-to-remain-closed-today-23699">till</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-pollution-public-health-emergency-primary-schools-to-remain-closed-today-23699"> </a>Sunday due to the worsening air quality in the national capital.</p>

<p>Delhi&#39;s deputy CM had said on Tuesday that if<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-wakes-up-to-hazardous-smog-23655"> the pollution worsened then the odd-even scheme</a> for private vehicles will be back in the national capital. He also said construction work in Delhi would be stopped due to high pollution levels in the captial.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Smog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Smog</a> canopies the national capital; early morning visuals from area around India Gate <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/WDseG2LAjy">pic.twitter.com/WDseG2LAjy</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928078574979919873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier asked Sisodia to shut down schools as the pollution levels rose alarmingly in the capital today on Tuesday.</p>

<p>The Indian Medical Association has declared a &quot;public health emergency&quot; and appealed to the government to stop outdoor sports and other such activities in schools to protect the health of children.</p>

<p>Air quality remains &quot;severe&quot; areas like Delhi&#39;s Lodhi Garden. Various areas including Dwarka, India Gate, Dhaula Kuan and RK Puram remained covered in a thick haze.</p>

<p>The Delhi government has issued a health advisory for high-risk people, including children, the elderly, pregnant women and those suffering from asthma and heart ailments.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Visuals of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Smog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Smog</a> from area around Faridabad&#39;s Sarai Metro Station. <a href="https://t.co/x4tCoZTmTJ">pic.twitter.com/x4tCoZTmTJ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/928086486703947776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Delhi's deputy CM had said earlier that if the pollution worsened then the odd-even scheme for private vehicles will be back in the national capital.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said today that all schools will remain closed till Sunday due to the worsening air quality in the national capital. Delhi's deputy CM had said on Tuesday that if the pollution worsened then the odd-even scheme for private vehicles will be back in the national capital. He also said construction work in Delhi would be stopped due to high pollution levels in the captial. #Smog canopies the national capital; early morning visuals from area around India Gate #Delhi pic.twitter.com/WDseG2LAjy — ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2017 × Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier asked Sisodia to shut down schools as the pollution levels rose alarmingly in the capital today on Tuesday. The Indian Medical Association has declared a "public health emergency" and appealed to the government to stop outdoor sports and other such activities in schools to protect the health of children. Air quality remains "severe" areas like Delhi's Lodhi Garden. Various areas including Dwarka, India Gate, Dhaula Kuan and RK Puram remained covered in a thick haze. The Delhi government has issued a health advisory for high-risk people, including children, the elderly, pregnant women and those suffering from asthma and heart ailments. Visuals of #Smog from area around Faridabad's Sarai Metro Station. pic.twitter.com/x4tCoZTmTJ — ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2017 ×

Pollution levels: All schools to be closed in Delhi till Sunday, says Manish Sisodia

<p>Environment Pollution <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-wakes-up-to-hazardous-smog-23655">(Prevention and Control) Authority(EPCA) said today the odd-even </a>scheme for private vehicles should&nbsp;be introduced in view of the increased pollution levels in Delhi.</p>

<p>The EPCA directed the Delhi government to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-medical-association-writes-to-delhi-cm-asking-him-to-cancel-airtel-delhi-half-marathon-23638">&quot;immediately intensify public transport service ensuring there are more</a> buses on the road&quot;, adding, &quot;conditions include stopping entry of truck traffic into Delhi(except essential commodities).&quot;</p>

<p>As the pollution level dipped alarmingly during the day with haze enveloping the city, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asked education minister Manish Sisodia to shut down schools in the national capital.</p>

<p>The Indian Medical Association (IMA) declared it a public health emergency and suggested schools to be to shut down and cancellation of the upcoming half marathon saying consequences of poor quality for runners could be &quot;disastrous&quot;.</p>

<p>Delhi Govt should start immediately preparing for imposition of some conditions, if weather and pollution conditions aggravate further, the EPCA said, saying: &quot;Conditions also include introduction of odd-even scheme for private vehicles based on license plate numbers with minimal exceptions.&quot;</p>

<p>The EPCA also said the Delhi government should immediatly increase parking fee by four times.</p>

<p>The US embassy website said that levels of the fine pollutants, known as PM2.5 which are most harmful to health, reached 703 which was well over double the threshold of 300 that authorities term as &quot;hazardous&quot;.</p>

<p>According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), emissions are trapped in the environment due to high levels of moisture in the air and lack of wind.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The EPCA directed the Delhi government to immediately intensify public transport service ensuring there are more buses on the road.

Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority(EPCA) said today the odd-even scheme for private vehicles should be introduced in view of the increased pollution levels in Delhi. The EPCA directed the Delhi government to "immediately intensify public transport service ensuring there are more buses on the road", adding, "conditions include stopping entry of truck traffic into Delhi(except essential commodities)." As the pollution level dipped alarmingly during the day with haze enveloping the city, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asked education minister Manish Sisodia to shut down schools in the national capital. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) declared it a public health emergency and suggested schools to be to shut down and cancellation of the upcoming half marathon saying consequences of poor quality for runners could be "disastrous". Delhi Govt should start immediately preparing for imposition of some conditions, if weather and pollution conditions aggravate further, the EPCA said, saying: "Conditions also include introduction of odd-even scheme for private vehicles based on license plate numbers with minimal exceptions." The EPCA also said the Delhi government should immediatly increase parking fee by four times. The US embassy website said that levels of the fine pollutants, known as PM2.5 which are most harmful to health, reached 703 which was well over double the threshold of 300 that authorities term as "hazardous". According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), emissions are trapped in the environment due to high levels of moisture in the air and lack of wind.

Introduce odd-even scheme for private cars, add more buses: EPCA to Delhi government

<p>As pollution level in Delhi rose&nbsp;to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-medical-association-writes-to-delhi-cm-asking-him-to-cancel-airtel-delhi-half-marathon-23638">alarming levels, the state government swung into action</a> with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asking&nbsp;Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia to shut down schools in the national capital.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Considering high level of pollution, I have requested Sh Manish Sisodia, Education Minister, to consider closing schools for a few days</p>
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/927801127705370624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>A thick blanket of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-wakes-up-to-hazardous-smog-23655">smog engulfed Delhi and its adjoining areas on Tuesday</a> morning, with visibility dropping drastically. Many flights and trains were delayed as a result.</p>

<p>The Indian Medical Association (IMA) declared it&nbsp;a public health emergency and suggested schools to be to shut down&nbsp;and cancellation of the&nbsp;upcoming half marathon saying consequences of poor quality&nbsp;for runners could be &quot;disastrous&quot;.</p>

<p>The US embassy website said that levels of the fine pollutants, known as PM2.5 which are most harmful to health, reached 703 which was well over double the threshold of 300 that authorities term as &quot;hazardous&quot;.</p>

<p>According to the&nbsp;Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), emissions are trapped in the environment due to high levels of moisture in the air and lack of wind.</p>

<p>&quot;Total calm conditions, marked by the complete absence of wind, has led to the situation,&quot;&nbsp; said Dipankar Saha, a senior executive, CPCB.</p>

<p>While an Air Quality Index between 0-50 considered good, Delhi&rsquo;s average AQI was 411 at 9 am (local time) on Tuesday morning, which is close to &quot;severe&quot;. According to the IMD, visibility also took a plunge and it was way below 200 metres.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3uYESjaUBZY"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
<p>On Tuesday, the air quality index, which measures the concentration of poisonous particulate matter in the air, hit the &quot;severe&quot; level of 451 on a scale where the maximum reading is 500 and where anything above 100 is considered unhealthy by the CPCB (Reuters,ANI)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>People took to Twitter to express their concern as smog levels increased in Delhi.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi has become a gas chamber. Every year this happens during this part of year. We have to find a soln to crop burning in adjoining states</p>
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/927785134803136512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi Gurgaon Toll <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DelhiSmog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DelhiSmog</a> <a href="https://t.co/8qlLEw3ZQG">pic.twitter.com/8qlLEw3ZQG</a></p>
&mdash; HOI143 (@HOI143) <a href="https://twitter.com/HOI143/status/927777948806946816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A dense smog covers Delhi today . Govt should declare emergency &amp; shut down schools &amp; colleges, construction work, factories. <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a></p>
&mdash; Abhinav Prakash (@Abhina_Prakash) <a href="https://twitter.com/Abhina_Prakash/status/927703702651125760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thick <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Smog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Smog</a> In Delhi. This Must Have Been Caused By People Celebrating Diwali By Bursting Crackers Last Night. Shame. Ban Diwali. ?????? <a href="https://t.co/GGQapfhepu">pic.twitter.com/GGQapfhepu</a></p>
&mdash; Sir Jadeja (@SirJadeja) <a href="https://twitter.com/SirJadeja/status/927771222460346368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi&#39;s Air quality against Hyderabad&#39;s almost at same <a href="https://t.co/Cc58feJvw1">https://t.co/Cc58feJvw1</a> of it you can figure it out <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Smog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Smog</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pollution?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pollution</a> <a href="https://t.co/RrTZ0d6Boz">pic.twitter.com/RrTZ0d6Boz</a></p>
&mdash; Ashutosh Tiwari (@ashutaa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashutaa/status/927709486575259648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is 8am in Noida. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhismog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhismog</a><br />
Regret sending my child to school. <a href="https://t.co/ZSMB54K1vr">pic.twitter.com/ZSMB54K1vr</a></p>
&mdash; Tavleen Singh Aroor (@Tavysingh) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tavysingh/status/927757433354706944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Other states - aur kya chal rha h??<br />
<br />
Delhi - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/smog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#smog</a> chal rha h !!!! <a href="https://t.co/0qNrDJ3D3y">pic.twitter.com/0qNrDJ3D3y</a></p>
&mdash; ?????? (@i_upasana) <a href="https://twitter.com/i_upasana/status/927757396172333056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


A thick blanket of smog engulfed Delhi and its adjoining areas on Tuesday morning, with visibility dropping drastically.

As pollution level in Delhi rose to alarming levels, the state government swung into action with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asking Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia to shut down schools in the national capital. Considering high level of pollution, I have requested Sh Manish Sisodia, Education Minister, to consider closing schools for a few days — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 7, 2017 × A thick blanket of smog engulfed Delhi and its adjoining areas on Tuesday morning, with visibility dropping drastically. Many flights and trains were delayed as a result. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) declared it a public health emergency and suggested schools to be to shut down and cancellation of the upcoming half marathon saying consequences of poor quality for runners could be "disastrous". The US embassy website said that levels of the fine pollutants, known as PM2.5 which are most harmful to health, reached 703 which was well over double the threshold of 300 that authorities term as "hazardous". According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), emissions are trapped in the environment due to high levels of moisture in the air and lack of wind. "Total calm conditions, marked by the complete absence of wind, has led to the situation," said Dipankar Saha, a senior executive, CPCB. While an Air Quality Index between 0-50 considered good, Delhi’s average AQI was 411 at 9 am (local time) on Tuesday morning, which is close to "severe". According to the IMD, visibility also took a plunge and it was way below 200 metres. On Tuesday, the air quality index, which measures the concentration of poisonous particulate matter in the air, hit the "severe" level of 451 on a scale where the maximum reading is 500 and where anything above 100 is considered unhealthy by the CPCB (Reuters,ANI) × People took to Twitter to express their concern as smog levels increased in Delhi. Delhi has become a gas chamber. Every year this happens during this part of year. We have to find a soln to crop burning in adjoining states — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 7, 2017 × Delhi Gurgaon Toll #DelhiSmog pic.twitter.com/8qlLEw3ZQG — HOI143 (@HOI143) November 7, 2017 × A dense smog covers Delhi today . Govt should declare emergency & shut down schools & colleges, construction work, factories. @narendramodi — Abhinav Prakash (@Abhina_Prakash) November 7, 2017 × Thick #Smog In Delhi. This Must Have Been Caused By People Celebrating Diwali By Bursting Crackers Last Night. Shame. Ban Diwali. ?????? pic.twitter.com/GGQapfhepu — Sir Jadeja (@SirJadeja) November 7, 2017 × Delhi's Air quality against Hyderabad's almost at same https://t.co/Cc58feJvw1 of it you can figure it out #Delhi #Smog #Pollution pic.twitter.com/RrTZ0d6Boz — Ashutosh Tiwari (@ashutaa) November 7, 2017 × This is 8am in Noida. #Delhismog Regret sending my child to school. pic.twitter.com/ZSMB54K1vr — Tavleen Singh Aroor (@Tavysingh) November 7, 2017 × Other states - aur kya chal rha h?? Delhi - #smog chal rha h !!!! pic.twitter.com/0qNrDJ3D3y — ?????? (@i_upasana) November 7, 2017 ×

Shut down schools for few days over high pollution level: Chief minister Kejriwal to Manish Sisodia

<p>Delhi deputy chief minister <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/introduce-odd-even-scheme-for-private-cars-add-more-buses-epca-to-delhi-government-23678">Manish Sisodia said today primary schools will remain </a>closed on Wednesday as pollution levels in the city reached dangerous levels on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Sisodia said if the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-cant-breath-again-heavy-smog-hit-delhi-this-morning-23650">pollution worsened then the odd-even scheme for private </a>vehicles will be back in the national capital.</p>

<p>&quot;Construction work will be stopped in Delhi,&quot; the deputy chief minister said.</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had asked Sisodia to shut down schools as the pollution levels rose alarmingly in the capital today.</p>

<p>A thick blanket of smog engulfed Delhi and its adjoining areas on Tuesday morning, with visibility dropping drastically. Many flights and trains were delayed.</p>

<p>The Indian Medical Association (IMA) declared it a public health emergency and suggested schools to be to shut down and cancellation of the upcoming half marathon saying consequences of poor quality for runners could be &quot;disastrous&quot;.</p>

<p>The US embassy website said that levels of the fine pollutants, known as PM2.5 which are most harmful to health, reached 703 which was well over double the threshold of 300 that authorities term as &quot;hazardous&quot;.</p>


Sisodia said if the pollution worsened then odd-even scheme for private vehicles will be back in the national capital.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said today primary schools will remain closed on Wednesday as pollution levels in the city reached dangerous levels on Tuesday. Sisodia said if the pollution worsened then the odd-even scheme for private vehicles will be back in the national capital. "Construction work will be stopped in Delhi," the deputy chief minister said. Earlier in the day, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had asked Sisodia to shut down schools as the pollution levels rose alarmingly in the capital today. A thick blanket of smog engulfed Delhi and its adjoining areas on Tuesday morning, with visibility dropping drastically. Many flights and trains were delayed. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) declared it a public health emergency and suggested schools to be to shut down and cancellation of the upcoming half marathon saying consequences of poor quality for runners could be "disastrous". The US embassy website said that levels of the fine pollutants, known as PM2.5 which are most harmful to health, reached 703 which was well over double the threshold of 300 that authorities term as "hazardous".

Pollution in the capital: Primary schools to be closed in Delhi, says Manish Sisodia

<p>The Capital will have to deal with the hazardous smog for a few more days. The Air Quality Index at ITO area stood at 317 on Tuesday which is considered as hazardous according to CPCB data.<br />
<br />
Residential area RK Puram AQI stood at 241 while Punjabi Bagh at 273. With winter setting in, the smog is likely to continue and the experts state that air quality is likely to worsen in the coming days with &#39;calm&#39; weather conditions not allowing dispersal of particulate matter easily.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>&#39;s RK Puram at 241 &amp; Punjabi Bagh at 273 (Very unhealthy), ITO at 317 (Hazardous) in Air Quality Index</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/925557090990485505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&ldquo;The particulates in the air are not getting dispersed due to the lack of wind while a large gap between the natural temperature and dew point, at which water droplets begin to condense, are keeping the pollutants trapped and making them float in the air,&rdquo; CPCB&rsquo;s air lab head Dipankar Saha told PTI.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The CPCB recorded an AQI (air quality index) of 351, which falls in the &lsquo;very poor&rsquo; category, on Tuesday. A &lsquo;very poor&rsquo; AQI comes with the warning that people may develop respiratory illness on prolonged exposure. Exposure to &#39;poor&#39;air also has adverse health effects on healthy people as well those already suffering from respiratory illness.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The Air Quality Index at ITO area stood at 317 on Tuesday which is considered as hazardous according to CPCB data

The Capital will have to deal with the hazardous smog for a few more days. The Air Quality Index at ITO area stood at 317 on Tuesday which is considered as hazardous according to CPCB data. Residential area RK Puram AQI stood at 241 while Punjabi Bagh at 273. With winter setting in, the smog is likely to continue and the experts state that air quality is likely to worsen in the coming days with 'calm' weather conditions not allowing dispersal of particulate matter easily. #Delhi's RK Puram at 241 & Punjabi Bagh at 273 (Very unhealthy), ITO at 317 (Hazardous) in Air Quality Index — ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2017 × “The particulates in the air are not getting dispersed due to the lack of wind while a large gap between the natural temperature and dew point, at which water droplets begin to condense, are keeping the pollutants trapped and making them float in the air,” CPCB’s air lab head Dipankar Saha told PTI. The CPCB recorded an AQI (air quality index) of 351, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category, on Tuesday. A ‘very poor’ AQI comes with the warning that people may develop respiratory illness on prolonged exposure. Exposure to 'poor'air also has adverse health effects on healthy people as well those already suffering from respiratory illness.

Air quality in Delhi likely to worsen in coming days

<p>The Supreme Court ban on firecrackers this Diwali (October 19) began with a bang (no pun intended) but ended in a whimper.</p>

<p>We talk about &quot;judicial activism&quot; but this is a classic case of the top court being constrained to take action, on a petition filed by three infants after the alarming rise in pollution levels and smog which enveloped the national capital last year on Diwali.</p>

<p>On October 13, the court refused to modify its earlier order banning the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The administration allowed those people who have already purchased firecrackers to burst them on Diwali.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The administration allowed those people who have already purchased firecrackers to burst them on Diwali." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s just an experiment for one year, we will take stock after that,&quot; Justice A K Sikri, who heard the case today, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-refuses-to-lift-ban-on-firecrackers-in-delhi-ncr-says-its-an-experiment-for-1-year-22393">was quoted as saying by WION</a>.</p>

<p>The judge said its 2016 order suspending the licences &quot;should be given one chance to test itself&quot;.</p>

<p>Far from activism, the Supreme Court ban stopped short of altogether banning the bursting of firecrackers. The administration in Delhi and the National Capital Region issued directives to the shopkeepers to stop selling firecrackers. But the administration allowed those people who have already purchased firecrackers to burst them on Diwali.</p>

<p>The results were there for everyone to see. While pollution levels, which were &quot;very poor&quot; just 10 days prior remained at &quot;very poor&quot; on the night of October 19, they shot up to &quot;severe&quot; the next day, the Central Pollution Control Board reported.</p>

<p>The online indicators of the pollution monitoring stations in the city on Diwali glowed red, indicating a &quot;very poor&quot; air quality as the volume of PM2.5 and PM10 sharply rose from around&nbsp;7 pm.&nbsp;The&nbsp;state-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)&nbsp;estimated the 24-hour rolling average of PM2.5 and PM10, ultrafine particulates which are up to 30 times tinier than the width of a human hair, at 154 and 256 micrograms per cubic metre at around&nbsp;11 pm.</p>

<p>The 24-hour rolling average of PM2.5 and PM10 were 424 and 571 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) the next day, much higher than the safe limits of 60 and 100. PM 2.5 can travel through the respiratory tract and reach the lungs causing short-term respiratory ailments such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing and sneezing. They can also worsen respiratory ailments such as asthma and heart disease.</p>

<p>Real-time pollution data was alarming. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee&#39;s (DPCC) RK Puram monitoring station recorded PM2.5 and PM10 at 878 and 1,179 micrograms per cubic metre at around&nbsp;11 pm. The pollutants peaked after&nbsp;midnight, surpassing the corresponding 24-hour safe limits of 60 and 100 more than 10 times. The monitors stopped working after&nbsp;midnight, suggesting that the pollutants had gone through the roof.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Stricter laws and stringent enforcing mechanisms seem to be the only way forward.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Stricter laws and stringent enforcing mechanisms seem to be the only way forward. " target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>The Air Quality Index (AQI), a barometer for measuring air pollution, was above 400 in most places in the National Capital Region (NCR) the next day. It was at a &quot;hazardous&quot;&nbsp; 978 in New Delhi&#39;s RK Puram area. US embassy&#39;s pollution monitor also recorded &quot;hazardous&quot;&nbsp; with the index scoring an alarming 878, which the mission considers &quot;beyond its air quality index&quot;, which ends at 500. On Diwali, the AQI improved from &quot;severe&quot; (431) in 2016 to (319) &quot;very poor&quot;, the Central Pollution Control Board reported.</p>

<p>A &quot;very poor&quot; air quality implies that people may suffer from respiratory illnesses on prolonged exposure to such air. If the air quality dips further, the AQI will turn &quot;severe&quot;. An AQI level of 0-50 is considered &quot;good&quot;, 51-100 &quot;satisfactory&quot;, 101-200 &quot;moderate&quot;, 201-300 &quot;poor&quot;, 301-400 &quot;very poor&quot;, and 401 and above is &quot;severe&quot;.</p>

<p><strong>The way forward</strong></p>

<p>Stricter laws and stringent enforcing mechanisms seem to be the only way forward. We have the police for keeping crime in check, the traffic police for fining those who violate traffic rules. Perhaps, a similar law-enforcing mechanism on Diwali could be implemented.</p>

<p>China recently set up an &quot;anti-smog police force&quot;. Perhaps, something similar may help us breathe a little easier.</p>


Stringent action such as enforcing an 'anti-smog police force', is required to check air pollution during Diwali

The Supreme Court ban on firecrackers this Diwali (October 19) began with a bang (no pun intended) but ended in a whimper. We talk about "judicial activism" but this is a classic case of the top court being constrained to take action, on a petition filed by three infants after the alarming rise in pollution levels and smog which enveloped the national capital last year on Diwali. On October 13, the court refused to modify its earlier order banning the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. The administration allowed those people who have already purchased firecrackers to burst them on Diwali. × "It's just an experiment for one year, we will take stock after that," Justice A K Sikri, who heard the case today, was quoted as saying by WION. The judge said its 2016 order suspending the licences "should be given one chance to test itself". Far from activism, the Supreme Court ban stopped short of altogether banning the bursting of firecrackers. The administration in Delhi and the National Capital Region issued directives to the shopkeepers to stop selling firecrackers. But the administration allowed those people who have already purchased firecrackers to burst them on Diwali. The results were there for everyone to see. While pollution levels, which were "very poor" just 10 days prior remained at "very poor" on the night of October 19, they shot up to "severe" the next day, the Central Pollution Control Board reported. The online indicators of the pollution monitoring stations in the city on Diwali glowed red, indicating a "very poor" air quality as the volume of PM2.5 and PM10 sharply rose from around 7 pm. The state-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) estimated the 24-hour rolling average of PM2.5 and PM10, ultrafine particulates which are up to 30 times tinier than the width of a human hair, at 154 and 256 micrograms per cubic metre at around 11 pm. The 24-hour rolling average of PM2.5 and PM10 were 424 and 571 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) the next day, much higher than the safe limits of 60 and 100. PM 2.5 can travel through the respiratory tract and reach the lungs causing short-term respiratory ailments such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing and sneezing. They can also worsen respiratory ailments such as asthma and heart disease. Real-time pollution data was alarming. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee's (DPCC) RK Puram monitoring station recorded PM2.5 and PM10 at 878 and 1,179 micrograms per cubic metre at around 11 pm. The pollutants peaked after midnight, surpassing the corresponding 24-hour safe limits of 60 and 100 more than 10 times. The monitors stopped working after midnight, suggesting that the pollutants had gone through the roof. Stricter laws and stringent enforcing mechanisms seem to be the only way forward. × The Air Quality Index (AQI), a barometer for measuring air pollution, was above 400 in most places in the National Capital Region (NCR) the next day. It was at a "hazardous" 978 in New Delhi's RK Puram area. US embassy's pollution monitor also recorded "hazardous" with the index scoring an alarming 878, which the mission considers "beyond its air quality index", which ends at 500. On Diwali, the AQI improved from "severe" (431) in 2016 to (319) "very poor", the Central Pollution Control Board reported. A "very poor" air quality implies that people may suffer from respiratory illnesses on prolonged exposure to such air. If the air quality dips further, the AQI will turn "severe". An AQI level of 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor", and 401 and above is "severe". The way forward Stricter laws and stringent enforcing mechanisms seem to be the only way forward. We have the police for keeping crime in check, the traffic police for fining those who violate traffic rules. Perhaps, a similar law-enforcing mechanism on Diwali could be implemented. China recently set up an "anti-smog police force". Perhaps, something similar may help us breathe a little easier.

Diwali pollution: Too little too late?

<p>The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015 requires every country to make pledges to tackle climate change. North Korea is no exception.</p>

<p>Given that air pollution doesn&rsquo;t recognise borders, there are already several emissions-reduction projects underway that will require cooperation between Asian nations.</p>

<p>To meet its obligations, South Korea has pledged to buy emissions credits on the international market, offsetting 11.3 per cent of its business-as-usual emissions in 2030. That is 96.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions &ndash; already more than North Korea&rsquo;s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2013 (78 million tonnes).</p>

<p>Because North Korea has its own obligations now, foreign countries including South Korea can no longer earn carbon credits from their carbon-offsetting projects in the country.</p>

<p>But if South Korea provides technical assistance such as satellite monitoring of North Korea&rsquo;s reforestation progression and then can obtain the country&rsquo;s &ldquo;informed consent&rdquo;, a mutual effort to generate carbon credits could be discussed.</p>

<p><strong>Air pollution</strong></p>

<p>Addressing transboundary air pollution is the latest development in regional cooperation. North Korea has been an inaugural member (since 1993) of the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC), one goal of which is to mitigate transboundary air pollution.</p>

<p>A recent study by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (written in Korean) revealed that 38 per cent of pollution particles in the city&rsquo;s ambient air come from China and another 7 per cent from North Korea.</p>

<p>A Japanese air-transport model estimated that more than 45 per cent of ambient PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) concentration in Nonodake (350km north of Tokyo) is from China. Although reducing this pollution in a coordinated way will be a difficult task, real-time data exchange (as proposed by NEASPEC) might be relatively easier.</p>

<p>If the Northeast Asian countries share real-time emissions data as well as the currently available meteorological data, they could generate more reliable pollution forecasts and help people prepare for high-pollution events. The harder task of particle pollution mitigation will be better addressed when the level of negotiating partners is upgraded from the current ministerial level to head of state level.</p>

<p><strong>Developing neighbour-friendly energies</strong></p>

<p>If Northeast Asia is to have a sustainable energy future, more regional cooperation will be required.</p>

<p>The trilateral Russia-China-Korea natural gas pipeline is bringing Russian natural gas to South Korea. Natural gas is not a sustainable energy source, but it can be a &ldquo;bridging fuel&rdquo; to help countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by replacing coal until their renewable energy technology and systems evolve. Then, a natural gas pipeline is an attractive option for South Korea, the world&rsquo;s second-biggest LNG importer after Japan.</p>

<p>Currently, South Korea&rsquo;s natural gas imports consist entirely of more expensive LNG. In the early 2000s, the Trans-Korean natural gas pipeline proposal was planned to supply Russian natural gas to South Korea using a shortcut pipeline passing through North Korea.</p>

<p>Reportedly, South Korean President Moon has shown interest in the project too. However, the project is not possible until the nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula is resolved.</p>

<p>Instead, there is an alternative for South Korea to seek a regional d&eacute;tente with a natural gas pipeline. Russia&rsquo;s &ldquo;Power of Siberia&rdquo; pipeline is planned to connect into the capital region of China. If this happens, extending the supply chain to South Korea via an undersea pipeline between China&rsquo;s Shandong peninsula and Korea&rsquo;s Incheon will be simpler. The pipeline would enhance the three countries&rsquo; economic ties and political cooperation.</p>

<p><strong>Asia clean grid connections</strong></p>

<p>The other energy option, the Asia international grid connection, is a project promoted by South Korea, Japan, and Mongolia. The basic idea is that vast solar and wind energy potential of Mongolia&rsquo;s Gobi Desert can be utilised by South Korea and Japan. A super grid would connect the countries in Northeast Asia.</p>

<p>This option&rsquo;s most prominent supporter is Masayoshi Son, chief executive of SoftBank, Japan&rsquo;s third-largest public company. Several research institutions and the Korea Electric Power Corporation, South Korea&rsquo;s only operator of the national grid, have been studying its feasibility.</p>

<p>The Asian Development Bank is conducting a technical feasibility assessment, at Mongolia&rsquo;s request. In April, the Renewable Energy Institute, an organisation founded by Mr Son in Tokyo, found the project will benefit all participating countries, citing many successfully operating international grid connections. But it lacks China&rsquo;s active participation.</p>

<p>If further research can find evidence that the project will significantly improve China&rsquo;s air quality by reducing coal consumption, national governments of the region might help make it happen.</p>

<p>Of course, true green d&eacute;tente in Northeast Asia cannot happen without North Korea&rsquo;s support and participation. However, if any of the reviewed four options become reality, it will give North Korea a strong incentive to cooperate.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/tackling-climate-change-could-bring-north-and-south-korea-closer-and-help-stabilise-the-region-82046" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Green d?tente options could help South Korea ease the diplomatic tensions in the region

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015 requires every country to make pledges to tackle climate change. North Korea is no exception. Given that air pollution doesn’t recognise borders, there are already several emissions-reduction projects underway that will require cooperation between Asian nations. To meet its obligations, South Korea has pledged to buy emissions credits on the international market, offsetting 11.3 per cent of its business-as-usual emissions in 2030. That is 96.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions – already more than North Korea’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2013 (78 million tonnes). Because North Korea has its own obligations now, foreign countries including South Korea can no longer earn carbon credits from their carbon-offsetting projects in the country. But if South Korea provides technical assistance such as satellite monitoring of North Korea’s reforestation progression and then can obtain the country’s “informed consent”, a mutual effort to generate carbon credits could be discussed. Air pollution Addressing transboundary air pollution is the latest development in regional cooperation. North Korea has been an inaugural member (since 1993) of the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC), one goal of which is to mitigate transboundary air pollution. A recent study by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (written in Korean) revealed that 38 per cent of pollution particles in the city’s ambient air come from China and another 7 per cent from North Korea. A Japanese air-transport model estimated that more than 45 per cent of ambient PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) concentration in Nonodake (350km north of Tokyo) is from China. Although reducing this pollution in a coordinated way will be a difficult task, real-time data exchange (as proposed by NEASPEC) might be relatively easier. If the Northeast Asian countries share real-time emissions data as well as the currently available meteorological data, they could generate more reliable pollution forecasts and help people prepare for high-pollution events. The harder task of particle pollution mitigation will be better addressed when the level of negotiating partners is upgraded from the current ministerial level to head of state level. Developing neighbour-friendly energies If Northeast Asia is to have a sustainable energy future, more regional cooperation will be required. The trilateral Russia-China-Korea natural gas pipeline is bringing Russian natural gas to South Korea. Natural gas is not a sustainable energy source, but it can be a “bridging fuel” to help countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by replacing coal until their renewable energy technology and systems evolve. Then, a natural gas pipeline is an attractive option for South Korea, the world’s second-biggest LNG importer after Japan. Currently, South Korea’s natural gas imports consist entirely of more expensive LNG. In the early 2000s, the Trans-Korean natural gas pipeline proposal was planned to supply Russian natural gas to South Korea using a shortcut pipeline passing through North Korea. Reportedly, South Korean President Moon has shown interest in the project too. However, the project is not possible until the nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula is resolved. Instead, there is an alternative for South Korea to seek a regional détente with a natural gas pipeline. Russia’s “Power of Siberia” pipeline is planned to connect into the capital region of China. If this happens, extending the supply chain to South Korea via an undersea pipeline between China’s Shandong peninsula and Korea’s Incheon will be simpler. The pipeline would enhance the three countries’ economic ties and political cooperation. Asia clean grid connections The other energy option, the Asia international grid connection, is a project promoted by South Korea, Japan, and Mongolia. The basic idea is that vast solar and wind energy potential of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert can be utilised by South Korea and Japan. A super grid would connect the countries in Northeast Asia. This option’s most prominent supporter is Masayoshi Son, chief executive of SoftBank, Japan’s third-largest public company. Several research institutions and the Korea Electric Power Corporation, South Korea’s only operator of the national grid, have been studying its feasibility. The Asian Development Bank is conducting a technical feasibility assessment, at Mongolia’s request. In April, the Renewable Energy Institute, an organisation founded by Mr Son in Tokyo, found the project will benefit all participating countries, citing many successfully operating international grid connections. But it lacks China’s active participation. If further research can find evidence that the project will significantly improve China’s air quality by reducing coal consumption, national governments of the region might help make it happen. Of course, true green détente in Northeast Asia cannot happen without North Korea’s support and participation. However, if any of the reviewed four options become reality, it will give North Korea a strong incentive to cooperate. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Tackling climate change could bring North and South Korea closer

<p>Hypothetically, time travels in my head, always take me to an imaginary window, through which I can see lush green trees across the street. Maybe after a cup of tea, practise yoga, inhaling the fresh air and while travelling to another place, cross a fresh stream or any water body that is responsible for providing drinking water to the city. Time and space window shopping, is a few minute luxury, always failing to the gravity of reality.</p>

<p>The alarming deterioration of air quality in and around my city, especially this time of the year always attracts multiple reports from various angles, parallel planes with other issues, and studio debates on the white smog. While all this goes on, we still breathe. We breathe the analogies, theoretical solutions, and short-term bans. All the while still choking on a constant deteriorating air of the National Capital Region and then like any particulate matter which cannot be seen, yet harmful for lungs as it can be absorbed by the body, we settle down at a corner away from the action.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Prolonged exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with the adverse cardiovascular event.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Prolonged exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with the adverse cardiovascular event." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p><strong>Bad air, bad blood</strong></p>

<p>Various scientific studies prove that prolonged exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with the adverse cardiovascular event.</p>

<p>Both gaseous air pollutants (ie, ozone, sulphur and nitric oxides, carbon monoxide) and particulate matter (pm) cause adverse effects on health. However, the most serious effects are related to the particulate matter.</p>

<p>When we inhale polluted air with high levels of pm 2.5, due to their characteristic small size it penetrates beyond the upper respiratory tract into alveoli of the lungs, and from there enter into the circulation system.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The World Health Organisation calculates the urban air pollution is an important cause of global mortality, being responsible for almost 700,000 premature deaths.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The World Health Organisation calculates the urban air pollution is an important cause of global mortality, being responsible for almost 700,000 premature deaths." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>These particulate matters also consist of many toxic substances (eg: metals) which leads to oxidative stress, i.e. impaired performance of cells caused by the presence of too many oxygen molecules in them and fibrinolysis, a process which prevents blood clots formation.</p>

<p>Few other toxins lead to blood clot formation in the arteries, thus considerably increasing the chances of a heart stroke. The World Health Organisation calculates the urban air pollution is an important cause of global mortality, being responsible for almost 700,000 premature deaths.</p>

<p><strong>The saga of an outsider: particulate matter</strong></p>

<p>The human immune system consists of many policemen known as the antibodies, their job is to check any infiltration of foreign bodies called antigen. In case they identify such antigen, pass the intelligence information to all the other forces (enzymes and other immune bodies).</p>

<p>Their job is to surround the foreign body and start killing it. Such intra body war-like scenario often gives out silent signals like itching and reddening of the area.</p>

<p>When a similar heightened process occurs in lungs due to the particulate matter, a foreign body settling in alveoli, the muscles in the airways of the lungs constrict, as a result the person find difficulty in breathing.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>India accounts for a quarter of deaths caused worldwide by the two most chronic respiratory diseases COPD and asthma.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=India accounts for a quarter of deaths caused worldwide by the two most chronic respiratory diseases COPD and asthma." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p><strong>The facts</strong></p>

<p>According to a recent survey: 35 per cent kids from Indian metro cities have asthma, whereas, about 22 million Americans have asthma. There are 5.4 million people with asthma in the UK, in every 10 seconds, someone is having a potentially life-threatening asthma attack in the UK.</p>

<p>India accounts for a quarter of deaths caused worldwide by the two most chronic respiratory diseases, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and asthma, according to the latest global burden of disease study.</p>

<p><strong>Perspective beyond obvious</strong></p>

<p>With each blow on the environment, we must realise that we are pushing the human race towards a vulnerable and low-quality lifestyle. We must have lost faith in ourselves, otherwise, we would have never doubted the power of one person dedicated to a good cause. The fact that we are casual about our habits and passive to surrounding problems, expose a threatening world in coming days. With the fast depletion of the basic resources, we are almost walking on the edge of time, where we might have to change few definitions in the social science books.</p>

<p>One of the leading physicists, Stephen Hawkings believes that human stupidity and pollution are the biggest threat to the mankind.</p>

<p>Even in a divided world, the sorrow of the environment unites us. Before the grief turns a threat to existence, lets at least make an attempt towards a better future.</p>


The continuous deterioration of air quality is leading to various cardiovascular diseases and breathing problem

Hypothetically, time travels in my head, always take me to an imaginary window, through which I can see lush green trees across the street. Maybe after a cup of tea, practise yoga, inhaling the fresh air and while travelling to another place, cross a fresh stream or any water body that is responsible for providing drinking water to the city. Time and space window shopping, is a few minute luxury, always failing to the gravity of reality. The alarming deterioration of air quality in and around my city, especially this time of the year always attracts multiple reports from various angles, parallel planes with other issues, and studio debates on the white smog. While all this goes on, we still breathe. We breathe the analogies, theoretical solutions, and short-term bans. All the while still choking on a constant deteriorating air of the National Capital Region and then like any particulate matter which cannot be seen, yet harmful for lungs as it can be absorbed by the body, we settle down at a corner away from the action. Prolonged exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with the adverse cardiovascular event. × Bad air, bad blood Various scientific studies prove that prolonged exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with the adverse cardiovascular event. Both gaseous air pollutants (ie, ozone, sulphur and nitric oxides, carbon monoxide) and particulate matter (pm) cause adverse effects on health. However, the most serious effects are related to the particulate matter. When we inhale polluted air with high levels of pm 2.5, due to their characteristic small size it penetrates beyond the upper respiratory tract into alveoli of the lungs, and from there enter into the circulation system. The World Health Organisation calculates the urban air pollution is an important cause of global mortality, being responsible for almost 700,000 premature deaths. × These particulate matters also consist of many toxic substances (eg: metals) which leads to oxidative stress, i.e. impaired performance of cells caused by the presence of too many oxygen molecules in them and fibrinolysis, a process which prevents blood clots formation. Few other toxins lead to blood clot formation in the arteries, thus considerably increasing the chances of a heart stroke. The World Health Organisation calculates the urban air pollution is an important cause of global mortality, being responsible for almost 700,000 premature deaths. The saga of an outsider: particulate matter The human immune system consists of many policemen known as the antibodies, their job is to check any infiltration of foreign bodies called antigen. In case they identify such antigen, pass the intelligence information to all the other forces (enzymes and other immune bodies). Their job is to surround the foreign body and start killing it. Such intra body war-like scenario often gives out silent signals like itching and reddening of the area. When a similar heightened process occurs in lungs due to the particulate matter, a foreign body settling in alveoli, the muscles in the airways of the lungs constrict, as a result the person find difficulty in breathing. India accounts for a quarter of deaths caused worldwide by the two most chronic respiratory diseases COPD and asthma. × The facts According to a recent survey: 35 per cent kids from Indian metro cities have asthma, whereas, about 22 million Americans have asthma. There are 5.4 million people with asthma in the UK, in every 10 seconds, someone is having a potentially life-threatening asthma attack in the UK. India accounts for a quarter of deaths caused worldwide by the two most chronic respiratory diseases, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and asthma, according to the latest global burden of disease study. Perspective beyond obvious With each blow on the environment, we must realise that we are pushing the human race towards a vulnerable and low-quality lifestyle. We must have lost faith in ourselves, otherwise, we would have never doubted the power of one person dedicated to a good cause. The fact that we are casual about our habits and passive to surrounding problems, expose a threatening world in coming days. With the fast depletion of the basic resources, we are almost walking on the edge of time, where we might have to change few definitions in the social science books. One of the leading physicists, Stephen Hawkings believes that human stupidity and pollution are the biggest threat to the mankind. Even in a divided world, the sorrow of the environment unites us. Before the grief turns a threat to existence, lets at least make an attempt towards a better future.

The future seems blurred through smog and dust

<p>India has a problem with pollution. Facts prove it. Our everyday life experience tells the same story. This is a problem not limited to one festival or one time of the year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India&#39;s pollution is a long-drawn pervasive affair that stems from a number of reasons, which include a high amount of traffic on Indian roads, particularly, vehicles using diesel. The dust on the roads is ubiquitous from the National Capital Region to muffasil towns.&nbsp;</p>

<p>To add to the pollution problem, on the onset of winter, farmers burn of crop residues, clouding a vast swath of land across India.&nbsp; As we witnessed in the winter of 2016, across the states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, deep, almost, unpenetrable smog cloaked the region.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The recent&nbsp; Supreme Court&#39;s judgement on banning the sale of firecrackers before Diwali is just touching the tip of the iceberg.&nbsp;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The recent? Supreme Court's judgement on banning the sale of firecrackers before Diwali is just touching the tip of the iceberg.?" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>India&#39;s teeming population and upwardly mobile middle-class has brought about another pollution peril for the people of the nation. Innumerable construction sites have opened up in and around the cities of India; the nation&#39;s suburbs are in an ever-expansive mode. But all the dust, the sand, the wreckage has worsened the air quality to an abysmal level. The living spaces that we are creating are making the air unlivable.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These amply illustrate the fact that pollution is a complicated issue in India. Thus, the recent&nbsp; Supreme Court&#39;s judgement on banning the sale of firecrackers before Diwali is just touching the tip of the iceberg.&nbsp; Banning pollutants, for a day or a week, will not reduce the grievous nature of the situation. It is not a long-term step and, hence, it will fail.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are more layers to the issue which the supporters of the ban are conveniently ignoring. For instance, we are taking recourse to the Supreme Court&#39;s verdict on all issues, ranging from Triple Talaq to cracker ban. This is not a&nbsp; good practise in a democracy where such decisions need to come from concerned agencies. In this case, it should have been the National Pollution Control Board.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Are we facing a future when all these civic bodies become defunct and the courts of India become colossally burdened with the responsibility of taking decisions on debatable matters?</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Are we facing a future when all these civic bodies become defunct and the courts of India become colossally burdened with the responsibility of taking decisions on debatable matters?

" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Sustained by the public exchequer, these bodies have failed to live up to their public duties. Are we facing a future when all these civic bodies become defunct and the courts of India become colossally burdened with the responsibility of taking decisions on debatable matters?</p>

<p>If we really want to have a long-term impact on the pollution level, we need to take some tougher measures, such as ban the sale of diesel, which is used by both big and small vehicles, from truck to auto rickshaws. But this, evidently, is not an easy feat to achieve. The initial ban on 2000 cc diesel vehicle was later withdrawn when the diesel car lobby got into action.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is also imperative that we start decongesting cities and start developing public transport. More cars mean more pollution.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>While we ban crackers on Diwali, we conveniently forget the pollution created by animal sacrifice.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=While we ban crackers on Diwali, we conveniently forget the pollution created by animal sacrifice." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>While we ban crackers on Diwali, we conveniently forget the pollution created by animal sacrifice. The Court has so far refused to ban animal sacrifice by all religious communities. Figures from Lucknow alone shows that in the last Bakrid, 5 lakh animals were sacrificed. 5-7 kg of waste is generated by killing a small animal, whereas, around 25 kg waste is generated after killing a big animal. The pollution these religious rituals -- Kali Puja, Durga Puja, Eid -- create involves huge wastage of precious water resources too. After all,&nbsp; water is needed to wash off the blood and the rest of the body waste is dumped in the drain or somewhere.</p>

<p>Thus, if we need a pollution free India, we have to look beyond knee-jerk reaction and go for a comprehensive solution. What the Supreme Court presently gives is no futuristic plan. The abetting pollution keeps on playing with our lives and, worst, we leave an insecure future for our kids. As a parent that is my biggest problem with the verdict.</p>


In banning firecracker, what we got from the Supreme Court of India is a knee-jerk reaction and not a comprehensive solution for the pollution plaguing India

India has a problem with pollution. Facts prove it. Our everyday life experience tells the same story. This is a problem not limited to one festival or one time of the year. India's pollution is a long-drawn pervasive affair that stems from a number of reasons, which include a high amount of traffic on Indian roads, particularly, vehicles using diesel. The dust on the roads is ubiquitous from the National Capital Region to muffasil towns. To add to the pollution problem, on the onset of winter, farmers burn of crop residues, clouding a vast swath of land across India. As we witnessed in the winter of 2016, across the states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, deep, almost, unpenetrable smog cloaked the region. The recent Supreme Court's judgement on banning the sale of firecrackers before Diwali is just touching the tip of the iceberg. × India's teeming population and upwardly mobile middle-class has brought about another pollution peril for the people of the nation. Innumerable construction sites have opened up in and around the cities of India; the nation's suburbs are in an ever-expansive mode. But all the dust, the sand, the wreckage has worsened the air quality to an abysmal level. The living spaces that we are creating are making the air unlivable. These amply illustrate the fact that pollution is a complicated issue in India. Thus, the recent Supreme Court's judgement on banning the sale of firecrackers before Diwali is just touching the tip of the iceberg. Banning pollutants, for a day or a week, will not reduce the grievous nature of the situation. It is not a long-term step and, hence, it will fail. There are more layers to the issue which the supporters of the ban are conveniently ignoring. For instance, we are taking recourse to the Supreme Court's verdict on all issues, ranging from Triple Talaq to cracker ban. This is not a good practise in a democracy where such decisions need to come from concerned agencies. In this case, it should have been the National Pollution Control Board. Are we facing a future when all these civic bodies become defunct and the courts of India become colossally burdened with the responsibility of taking decisions on debatable matters? × Sustained by the public exchequer, these bodies have failed to live up to their public duties. Are we facing a future when all these civic bodies become defunct and the courts of India become colossally burdened with the responsibility of taking decisions on debatable matters? If we really want to have a long-term impact on the pollution level, we need to take some tougher measures, such as ban the sale of diesel, which is used by both big and small vehicles, from truck to auto rickshaws. But this, evidently, is not an easy feat to achieve. The initial ban on 2000 cc diesel vehicle was later withdrawn when the diesel car lobby got into action. It is also imperative that we start decongesting cities and start developing public transport. More cars mean more pollution. While we ban crackers on Diwali, we conveniently forget the pollution created by animal sacrifice. × While we ban crackers on Diwali, we conveniently forget the pollution created by animal sacrifice. The Court has so far refused to ban animal sacrifice by all religious communities. Figures from Lucknow alone shows that in the last Bakrid, 5 lakh animals were sacrificed. 5-7 kg of waste is generated by killing a small animal, whereas, around 25 kg waste is generated after killing a big animal. The pollution these religious rituals -- Kali Puja, Durga Puja, Eid -- create involves huge wastage of precious water resources too. After all, water is needed to wash off the blood and the rest of the body waste is dumped in the drain or somewhere. Thus, if we need a pollution free India, we have to look beyond knee-jerk reaction and go for a comprehensive solution. What the Supreme Court presently gives is no futuristic plan. The abetting pollution keeps on playing with our lives and, worst, we leave an insecure future for our kids. As a parent that is my biggest problem with the verdict.

Firecracker ban: As a parent my biggest worry

<p>Hundreds participated in a cyclothon in the heart of New Delhi on Monday&nbsp;to spread awareness about the use of fuel-less transport options.</p>

<p>People from all walks of life and across age groups took part in the event which was organised as part of a federal government initiative called &quot;Saksham (able) 2017&quot;&nbsp;- aimed at creating awareness about judicious utilisation and conservation of petroleum products.</p>

<p>Starting from the war memorial of India Gate and concluding at the Parliament building, cyclists covered a distance of 3.4 kilometres. Participants acknowledged the need for action to contain the impact of climate change.</p>

<p>&quot;There&#39;s a lot of awareness due to climate change. Everyone is aware what is happening in the world right now, (about the need) to control the temperature, rising temperature and save the planet from devastation due to climate change. There is so much awareness, a huge crowd has gathered. There is a lot of change due to awareness,&quot; said a participant.</p>

<p>&quot;Today it is a very good event. Government should continue, at least compulsory for once in a week to go to office by cycle,&quot; said another participant.</p>

<p>India is the world&#39;s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.</p>

<p>As a signatory to the Paris Agreement on climate change, India is committed to ensuring that at least 40 per cent of its electricity will be generated from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2030.</p>

<p>While coal still provides the lion&#39;s share of India&#39;s energy, officials forecast the country will meet its Paris Agreement renewable energy commitments three years early - and exceed them by nearly half.</p>

<p>A 10-year blueprint released in December predicts that 57 per cent of total electricity capacity will come from non-fossil sources by 2027.</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


Cycling from India Gate to the Parliament building, participants from all walks of life stressed the need to contain climate change

Hundreds participated in a cyclothon in the heart of New Delhi on Monday to spread awareness about the use of fuel-less transport options. People from all walks of life and across age groups took part in the event which was organised as part of a federal government initiative called "Saksham (able) 2017" - aimed at creating awareness about judicious utilisation and conservation of petroleum products. Starting from the war memorial of India Gate and concluding at the Parliament building, cyclists covered a distance of 3.4 kilometres. Participants acknowledged the need for action to contain the impact of climate change. "There's a lot of awareness due to climate change. Everyone is aware what is happening in the world right now, (about the need) to control the temperature, rising temperature and save the planet from devastation due to climate change. There is so much awareness, a huge crowd has gathered. There is a lot of change due to awareness," said a participant. "Today it is a very good event. Government should continue, at least compulsory for once in a week to go to office by cycle," said another participant. India is the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As a signatory to the Paris Agreement on climate change, India is committed to ensuring that at least 40 per cent of its electricity will be generated from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2030. While coal still provides the lion's share of India's energy, officials forecast the country will meet its Paris Agreement renewable energy commitments three years early - and exceed them by nearly half. A 10-year blueprint released in December predicts that 57 per cent of total electricity capacity will come from non-fossil sources by 2027. (Reuters)

Hundreds in New Delhi cycle to raise awareness of fuel-less transport

Authorities will plant 18 million trees in Mexico City and its surrounding suburbs as part of efforts to combat air pollution, the government said Monday.<br />
<br />
Environment Minister Rafael Pacchiano dubbed it a &quot;historic reforestation&quot; to reinforce the &quot;green belt in the megalopolis&quot;.<br />
<br />
The greater Mexico City area was hit by the worst air pollution in more than a decade in March, prompting authorities to restrict traffic for the 5.4 million vehicles that circulate daily.<br />
<br />
Pacchiano said that the lack of wind and record high temperatures in March contributed to an increase in ozone levels.<br />
<br />
Other new measures announced by Pacchiano include replacing 1,000 taxis that are more than 10 years old with hybrid cars and stepping up a program to renew cargo and passenger transport vehicles.&nbsp;Anti-pollution rules will also be tightened in industry.<br />
<br />
The government imposed temporary car restrictions between April and June 30, forcing all vehicles to stay home at least once a week. Normally, older vehicles and those that fail emissions tests have traffic restrictions.<br />
<br />
Last month, the environment ministry unveiled new rules to prevent corruption at emission inspection centres that have allowed polluting cars to remain on the road.<br />
<br />
(AFP)

The city will also restrict traffic to combat air pollution, which is at its worst levels in a decade

Authorities will plant 18 million trees in Mexico City and its surrounding suburbs as part of efforts to combat air pollution, the government said Monday. Environment Minister Rafael Pacchiano dubbed it a "historic reforestation" to reinforce the "green belt in the megalopolis". The greater Mexico City area was hit by the worst air pollution in more than a decade in March, prompting authorities to restrict traffic for the 5.4 million vehicles that circulate daily. Pacchiano said that the lack of wind and record high temperatures in March contributed to an increase in ozone levels. Other new measures announced by Pacchiano include replacing 1,000 taxis that are more than 10 years old with hybrid cars and stepping up a program to renew cargo and passenger transport vehicles. Anti-pollution rules will also be tightened in industry. The government imposed temporary car restrictions between April and June 30, forcing all vehicles to stay home at least once a week. Normally, older vehicles and those that fail emissions tests have traffic restrictions. Last month, the environment ministry unveiled new rules to prevent corruption at emission inspection centres that have allowed polluting cars to remain on the road. (AFP)

Mexico City to plant 18 million trees in massive reforestation effort

Volkswagen AG will pay an additional $86 million in penalties to California over its emissions scandal, on top of a settlement of $14.7 billion the automaker reached with US officials last week, state attorney general Kamala Harris said in a statement on Thursday.<br />
<br />
The office of Harris, a Democrat, said the $86 million in civil penalties resolved certain claims California officials made against Volkswagen under the state&#39;s unfair competition law as well as under federal law.<br />
<br />
&quot;We must conserve and protect our environment for future generations and deliver swift and certain consequences to those who break the law and pollute our air,&quot; said Harris, who is running for a seat in the US Senate.<br />
<br />
The scandal has disrupted Volkswagen&#39;s global business and sullied its reputation.<br />
<br />
The latest settlement between officials for Volkswagen and California, the nation&#39;s most populous state, provides for $76 million to be paid to Harris&#39; office to defray costs relating to investigation and litigation of the emissions scandal, according to court documents.<br />
<br />
The other $10 million will be dedicated to grants for government agencies and universities, to be used in part to study technology that can help detect so-called &quot;defeat devices&quot;, which on Volkswagen cars produced false results during diesel emissions tests, Harris&#39; office said.<br />
<br />
Volkswagen, the world&#39;s second-biggest automaker, has admitted it used sophisticated secret software to cheat exhaust emissions tests, deceiving regulators and customers about pollution from its diesel engines.<br />
<br />
&quot;Today&rsquo;s filing formalises the agreement with the California attorney general announced last week to resolve consumer protection claims related to the diesel matter in California,&quot; Volkswagen said in a statement.<br />
<br />
The company had previously said it would pay $603 million to resolve litigation with most US states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, on top of the $14.7 billion settlement with federal officials.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Under that larger settlement involving the US department of justice, the company will buy back or potentially fix about a half-million polluting diesel cars and set up environmental and consumer compensation funds.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

VW admitted to using secret software to cheat exhaust emissions tests, deceiving regulators and customers about ultra high pollution levels

Volkswagen AG will pay an additional $86 million in penalties to California over its emissions scandal, on top of a settlement of $14.7 billion the automaker reached with US officials last week, state attorney general Kamala Harris said in a statement on Thursday. The office of Harris, a Democrat, said the $86 million in civil penalties resolved certain claims California officials made against Volkswagen under the state's unfair competition law as well as under federal law. "We must conserve and protect our environment for future generations and deliver swift and certain consequences to those who break the law and pollute our air," said Harris, who is running for a seat in the US Senate. The scandal has disrupted Volkswagen's global business and sullied its reputation. The latest settlement between officials for Volkswagen and California, the nation's most populous state, provides for $76 million to be paid to Harris' office to defray costs relating to investigation and litigation of the emissions scandal, according to court documents. The other $10 million will be dedicated to grants for government agencies and universities, to be used in part to study technology that can help detect so-called "defeat devices", which on Volkswagen cars produced false results during diesel emissions tests, Harris' office said. Volkswagen, the world's second-biggest automaker, has admitted it used sophisticated secret software to cheat exhaust emissions tests, deceiving regulators and customers about pollution from its diesel engines. "Today’s filing formalises the agreement with the California attorney general announced last week to resolve consumer protection claims related to the diesel matter in California," Volkswagen said in a statement. The company had previously said it would pay $603 million to resolve litigation with most US states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, on top of the $14.7 billion settlement with federal officials. Under that larger settlement involving the US department of justice, the company will buy back or potentially fix about a half-million polluting diesel cars and set up environmental and consumer compensation funds. (Reuters)

Volkswagen to pay $86 million in penalties to California over emissions

Britain will not decide where to build a new runway at Heathrow airport until at least October due to the political turmoil following Britons&#39; vote to leave the European Union, transport minister Patrick McLoughlin said today.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
London&#39;s Heathrow, Britain and Europe&#39;s busiest airport, has been campaigning for 25 years for an extra runway and a decision had been expected this summer, after it was pushed back by the government from last year.<br />
<br />
But, after his side lost the vote on the country&#39;s EU membership, Prime Minister David Cameron said he would resign by October, and a Conservative leadership contest has begun.<br />
<br />
&quot;Being realistic, given recent events, I cannot now foresee an announcement (on airport capacity in southeast England) until at least October,&quot; McLoughlin told lawmakers.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Cameron&#39;s government has been considering for four years where to build the runway, with Heathrow seen as the front-runner over Gatwick, Britain&#39;s second busiest airport, after it was selected by the Davies independent commission in 2015.<br />
<br />
However, his possible successor Theresa May opposes Heathrow expansion.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Another high-profile opponent of Heathrow expansion, former London mayor Boris Johnson, said on Thursday he would not be standing for the Conservative leadership.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Business leaders have repeatedly called on the government to build a new runway as Heathrow, Europe&#39;s busiest airport, is already full.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
But past attempts to expand the airport, 15 miles west of London in a densely populated area, have been scuppered by local opposition over worries about increased noise and air pollution.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
McLoughlin said a government analysis on air quality linked to expansion would be published soon, and said that despite the delays the runway could still be built by the 2030 deadline set by the Davies commission report.<br />
<br />
The latest delay to Heathrow&#39;s 18 billion pound ($24 billion) expansion plan was criticised by business groups.<br />
<br />
The British Chambers of Commerce said the government was missing an opportunity to stimulate business confidence, while the City of London Corporation said competing on a world stage meant being able to build new trade links.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
A quarter of the country&#39;s exports move through Heathrow, Britain&#39;s biggest port, but it has no extra capacity to add routes to new markets including China.<br />
<br />
&quot;If Britain wants to be confident, outward-looking and at the centre of the world&#39;s economy then expanding Heathrow must be a key building block in the government&#39;s Brexit plan,&quot; Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said in a statement.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Tesco chairman John Allan told BBC radio that a delay was &quot;unhelpful&quot; and lamented the fact that &quot;reasons of internal party management&quot; came ahead of what was in the nation&#39;s interest.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Heathrow&#39;s largest shareholder is Spanish infrastructure firm Ferrovial. Other partners include Qatar Holding, China Investment Corp and the Government of Singapore Investment Corp.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

Heathrow has been pushing for 25 years for an extra runway but efforts have been thwarted by opposition to increased noise and air pollution

Britain will not decide where to build a new runway at Heathrow airport until at least October due to the political turmoil following Britons' vote to leave the European Union, transport minister Patrick McLoughlin said today. London's Heathrow, Britain and Europe's busiest airport, has been campaigning for 25 years for an extra runway and a decision had been expected this summer, after it was pushed back by the government from last year. But, after his side lost the vote on the country's EU membership, Prime Minister David Cameron said he would resign by October, and a Conservative leadership contest has begun. "Being realistic, given recent events, I cannot now foresee an announcement (on airport capacity in southeast England) until at least October," McLoughlin told lawmakers. Cameron's government has been considering for four years where to build the runway, with Heathrow seen as the front-runner over Gatwick, Britain's second busiest airport, after it was selected by the Davies independent commission in 2015. However, his possible successor Theresa May opposes Heathrow expansion. Another high-profile opponent of Heathrow expansion, former London mayor Boris Johnson, said on Thursday he would not be standing for the Conservative leadership. Business leaders have repeatedly called on the government to build a new runway as Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, is already full. But past attempts to expand the airport, 15 miles west of London in a densely populated area, have been scuppered by local opposition over worries about increased noise and air pollution. McLoughlin said a government analysis on air quality linked to expansion would be published soon, and said that despite the delays the runway could still be built by the 2030 deadline set by the Davies commission report. The latest delay to Heathrow's 18 billion pound ($24 billion) expansion plan was criticised by business groups. The British Chambers of Commerce said the government was missing an opportunity to stimulate business confidence, while the City of London Corporation said competing on a world stage meant being able to build new trade links. A quarter of the country's exports move through Heathrow, Britain's biggest port, but it has no extra capacity to add routes to new markets including China. "If Britain wants to be confident, outward-looking and at the centre of the world's economy then expanding Heathrow must be a key building block in the government's Brexit plan," Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said in a statement. Tesco chairman John Allan told BBC radio that a delay was "unhelpful" and lamented the fact that "reasons of internal party management" came ahead of what was in the nation's interest. Heathrow's largest shareholder is Spanish infrastructure firm Ferrovial. Other partners include Qatar Holding, China Investment Corp and the Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (Reuters)

Brexit political turmoil delays call on new runway at London airport until October

London, May 28 (IANS) Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence.`<br />
<br />
<br />
According to the researchers, nearly 2.6 million children worldwide were stillborn at 28 weeks or more in 2015, with the wide geographical variation in prevalence suggesting that most of these deaths were preventable.<br />
<br />
&quot;Stillbirth is one of the most neglected tragedies in global health today,&quot; said Marie Pedersen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">WHO rejects call for Olympics to moved due to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZikaVirus?src=hash">#ZikaVirus</a> <a href="https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx">https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx</a></p>
&mdash; dna (@dna) <a href="https://twitter.com/dna/status/736460787665883137">May 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
The findings showed that specifically, a 4 microgram per cubic meter (&micro;g/m3) increase in exposure to small particulate matter of less than 2.5 in diameter (PM2.5) was associated with a 2 percent increased risk of stillbirth.<br />
<br />
Further, particles less than or equal to 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone also showed to increase stillbirth risks.<br />
<br />
&quot;The existing evidence is suggestive of causality for air pollution and stillbirth without precise identification of the timing of exposure,&quot; Pedersen added.<br />
<br />
For the study, published online in Occupational &amp; Environmental Medicine, the reviewed 13 studies, which found an association between exposure to air pollution -- particularly during the third term of pregnancy -- and a heightened risk of stillbirth.<br />
<br />
&quot;With the limited studies on the relevant topic, our review suggests strong priorities for future research. If the evidence of an association between ambient air population and stillbirth is confirmed in future studies, it would be of major public health importance,&quot; Pedersen noted.<br />
<br />
--IANS

Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence

London, May 28 (IANS) Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence.` According to the researchers, nearly 2.6 million children worldwide were stillborn at 28 weeks or more in 2015, with the wide geographical variation in prevalence suggesting that most of these deaths were preventable. "Stillbirth is one of the most neglected tragedies in global health today," said Marie Pedersen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark. WHO rejects call for Olympics to moved due to #ZikaVirus https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx — dna (@dna) May 28, 2016 The findings showed that specifically, a 4 microgram per cubic meter (µg/m3) increase in exposure to small particulate matter of less than 2.5 in diameter (PM2.5) was associated with a 2 percent increased risk of stillbirth. Further, particles less than or equal to 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone also showed to increase stillbirth risks. "The existing evidence is suggestive of causality for air pollution and stillbirth without precise identification of the timing of exposure," Pedersen added. For the study, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, the reviewed 13 studies, which found an association between exposure to air pollution -- particularly during the third term of pregnancy -- and a heightened risk of stillbirth. "With the limited studies on the relevant topic, our review suggests strong priorities for future research. If the evidence of an association between ambient air population and stillbirth is confirmed in future studies, it would be of major public health importance," Pedersen noted. --IANS

Air pollution may up stillbirth risk during third trimester

pollution

Pollution, News on Pollution, stories on Pollution, articles on Pollution, Pollution stories at Wion, Pollution news, Pollution latest news