Plants like aloe vera, spider plant and neem act as the natural air filters.
Let's take a look at some of the most polluted cities in the world's biggest economies.
The air quality index of neighbouring areas of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Noida was recorded at 312, 368, 301 and 357, respectively.
The Delhi government sources said the chief minister was scheduled to leave for the summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, at 2 pm on Tuesday, but could not take the flight as the MEA denied him the political clearance to attend the meeting.
Pollution levels in Delhi during the Diwali period are likely to remain in the higher end of the 'very poor' category in the absence of emissions due to fireworks, the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR said.
Doctors have declared the situation as a 'public health emergency', while the government has taken a series of measures in view of high pollution levels.
BCCI banned the display of fireworks during the World Cup games in Delhi and Mumbai due to worsening air quality.
The H3N2, which has been in wide circulation for the past two-three months, causes more hospitalisations than other subtypes, said ICMR scientists who keep a close watch on ailments caused by respiratory viruses through the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories network.
As weather patterns grow more unpredictable due to climate crisis, India is taking a giant leap with "Mission Mausam" to improve weather understanding and forecasting through expanded observation networks, better modeling and advanced tools like AI and machine learning.
The government on Friday approved an electric-vehicle policy, under which duty concessions will be given to companies setting up manufacturing units in the country with a minimum investment of $500 million, a move aimed at attracting major global players like US-based Tesla. According to an official statement, the companies setting up manufacturing facilities for e-vehicles will be allowed to import a limited number of cars at lower customs duty. The policy seeks to promote India as a manufacturing destination for EVs and attract investment from reputed global EV manufacturers, it added.
The members of the farmers' unions while on their way to the protest site removed barricades put up by police and forcibly entered the road leading to the 'dharna'.
Rediff Labs investigates the link between environment and economy in countries around the world.
Experts said while meteorological conditions were "moderately" favourable for dispersion of pollutants, a "very high" number of farm fires in Punjab was the primary reason for "severe" air quality.
Once called India's garden city, this upper middle-class residential area in Bangalore has India's most toxic air, says Devanik Saha, IndiaSpend.com.
Pollution levels in Delhi and satellite towns shot up again on Sunday morning, with the air quality bordering the 'severe plus' category at several places.
The central air quality panel had on Friday allowed authorities in Delhi-NCR to resume physical classes for students in classes 6 and above, colleges and other educational institutions with immediate effect.
The central government's Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said a "significant improvement in air quality is not likely" owing to slow wind speed, particularly during night time, and contribution from farm fires.
The air pollution problem in the national capital won't go away till we take action -- such as ban the use of dirty fuels, ramp up public transport and oversee crop burning, says Sunita Narain.
With Christmas and the New Year approaching, doctors at some hospitals in the city also referred to the detection of the first case of the new JN.1 variant of the coronavirus in the country and asked people to exercise extra caution.
A purported video of the entire incident also surfaced on social media. Police have lodged an FIR in the matter after an order by Mann on Saturday. The chief minister termed the incident as an "inhuman crime" against the people of the state.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday said the odd-even car rationing scheme will not be implemented from November 13 to November 20 as there has been a significant improvement in the national capital's air quality due to rain.
The central government's Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said a significant increase in the number of "fire points" was observed over Punjab (around 3,000), Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, which is likely to impact the air quality of Delhi-NCR and other parts of northwest India.
Several MPs on Monday made a statement against pollution in the national capital by riding bicycles, sporting masks and even choosing electric vehicles over fuel guzzlers as they arrived for the Winter Session of Parliament.
22 of the 37 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi recorded the air quality in the severe category on Thursday morning.
On Sunday, too, a drizzle resulted in an increase in humidity, triggering a massive pollution spike.
The air quality in Delhi is turning worse, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
The Delhi government on Wednesday said the odd-even car rationing scheme will be implemented in the national capital after the Supreme Court reviews its effectiveness and issues an order.
The Delhi government has been following the practice of banning all kinds of firecrackers for the last three years.
The teams are ready to battle it out and with no established name figuring in India's bowling department
So, what's the problem if our present is screwed up when the future promises to be profitable? It's an Indian habit, notes Shyam G Menon.
'We want to make sustainability affordable.' 'We tell everyone, don't just recycle, Craste it!'
A thick layer of fog was seen in several parts of the city, weather officials said.
It is believed that the crop residue burning in the nearby states of Punjab and Haryana are contributing to polluting the air.
At 9 am on Monday, the air quality index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 207 against an AQI of 254 at the same time on Sunday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday said scheduling of matches in pollution-mired Delhi will be 'considered' in future after Sri Lanka's cricket team complained of poor air quality during the ongoing third Test against India in New Delhi.
Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir on Monday hit back at the Aam Aadmi Party after being targeted by "missing" posters that said the MP was "last seen eating jalebis in Indore".
Moreover, Assocham warned that the phenomenon is likely to hurt Brand India and impact the country's tourism
The air quality had turned 'severe' on Saturday evening with stubble burning accounting for 32 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution, but firecracker emissions and calm winds made the situation even worse.
The spurt in pollutants was caused by a combination of meteorological factors including a drop in temperature, wind speed and mixing height, a layer where air and particulates float, the Central Pollution Control Board said.
It is in coal consumption that India most diverges from the rest of the world
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