'After tobacco, the next most common cause for oral cancer is alcohol.'
Air quality index (AQI) soared past 350 level in parts of Delhi on Thursday and experts cautioned that as weather turns colder it may breach the 400-mark ceiling and enter the 'severe' zone soon, notwithstanding the incidents of stubble burnings which have nosedived from 17,529 in 2020 to 4,262 this year.
Among heavy criticism of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks on Prayagraj's Mahakumbh, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj on Wednesday supported the CM, saying that the religious event has been mismanaged.
The Delhi government has requested the Centre's air quality panel to suspend the fuel ban on older vehicles, citing implementation challenges and public discontent. The government is also seeking solutions to restrictions on end-of-life vehicles.
Preventive measures are in place and the forecast suggests further improvement, said the statutory body responsible for forming air pollution reduction strategies for the region and their implementation.
The unloading of 337 tonnes of hazardous waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal began at an incineration unit in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. The exercise, which commenced amid protests from locals concerned about its impact on health and environment, is being carried out following safety regulations. The waste, comprising soil, reactor residues, pesticide remnants, and other materials, has been transported from Bhopal to Pithampur for disposal. The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board has asserted that the chemical effects of certain substances in the waste have diminished. The local administration has launched an awareness campaign to address concerns regarding the disposal process.
'Pollution acts as an endocrine disruptor.' 'When it acts as an endocrine disruptor it has an effect on the endocrine system of the human body and the effect on the pancreas is an important one.' 'The way you get type two diabetes is due to two defects.' 'One is the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin.' 'The other physiological defect is insulin resistance.'
Data from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change reveals that 30 cities recorded an increase in PM10 levels compared to 2017-18 (FY18), indicating deteriorating air quality.
The survey was conducted in 88 major industrial clusters in the country.
With Delhi recording air pollution levels seven to eight times above safe standards on Monday, the city government announced the return of its flagship odd-even scheme after four years anticipating further deterioration of air quality post-Diwali.
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages has moved the National Green Tribunal, challenging the order.
With such announcements grabbing the voters' attention, critical issues like pollution, especially the smog that chokes Delhi every winter, remain largely unaddressed. Many residents have raised concerns over the lack of concrete action plans to combat air pollution, which continues to pose a severe health risk to Delhiites.
Billions of rupees spent on river cleaning programmes have gone down the drain. This situation cannot be allowed to continue, says Business Standard.
The Uttar Pradesh government, citing a scientist, has asserted that Ganga water at the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj is as pure as "alkaline water", debunking concerns raised by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) about water quality. The government claims that a scientist found no bacterial growth or decline in the water's pH level, despite millions of devotees bathing in the river. However, experts caution that the quality of the Ganga water is not static and can vary greatly depending on various factors.
Dense fog enveloped Delhi for a second consecutive morning, leading to disruptions in air and rail traffic. Visibility dropped to zero in several areas, causing delays for 81 trains and diversions for 15 flights. The Met office attributed the fog to calm surface winds, and predicted continued dense to very dense fog throughout the day. Meanwhile, the national capital's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category, with an AQI reading of 380 at 9 am.
A strong dust storm and gusty winds followed by rain hit Delhi-NCR on Friday evening, causing trees to be uprooted in several parts and leading to traffic congestion. Thunderstorms caused power disruptions in several parts of the city, primarily due to trees and branches falling on electricity cables. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert, recommending people stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.
The Indian government has stated that the water in the Ganga river at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj was fit for bathing during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh, citing a new report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The report, however, contradicts an earlier CPCB report that found high faecal coliform levels at several locations in Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh. The government also highlighted measures taken to ensure water quality during the event, including the installation of sewage treatment plants and the use of advanced oxidation techniques to treat wastewater.
Sivakasi is fighting for survival, thanks to the ban on firecrackers in Delhi, regulations in several other cities, pandemic-imposed sales dips, the ban on the use of barium nitrate...
The PMK has now lent its voice to the protests against the mining of atomic minerals in Kanyakumari.
The Central Pollution Control Board has declared Gujarat as the most polluted state in India.
The Ganga water at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, where lakhs of people are taking a holy dip every day during the ongoing Maha Kumbh, is currently unsafe for bathing as it exceeds the prescribed limit for biological oxygen demand (BOD), a key parameter to determine water quality, according to government data.
Gaps in enforcement, limited monitoring, and easy access to firecrackers from the NCR region where restrictions were slack were largely responsible for the widespread flouting of the cracker ban in Delhi on Diwali, experts have opined.
The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 420 at 8 am on Thursday, compared to 426 at 4 pm on Wednesday. The AQI map prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board showed clusters of red dots (indicating hazardous air quality) spread across the Indo-Gangetic plains.
Dr Sneha Tirpude, pulmonologist at Pune's Ruby Hall Clinic, suggests simple measures to protect your lungs when the air quality is poor.
According to Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Sameer app, the city's air quality index (AQI) stood at 449 in the severe category at 8 am on Saturday. It was 462 on Friday.
Under the emergency plan, stringent actions are implemented based on the air quality of the city.
Prices of electric vehicles (EVs) will be equal to those of petrol vehicles in the country within six months, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.
Authorities have suspended civil construction works in Delhi and Haryana as part of emergency measures to improve air quality.
The poisonous haze has been causing significant problems for people with existing respiratory issues, according to doctors.
The eight critically polluted areas are Ludhiana (Punjab), Varanasi-Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh), Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Bhavnagar (Gujarat), Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), Dombivalli (Maharashtra), Aurangabad (Maharashtra) and Navi-Mumbai (Maharashtra).
The Bombay High Court has ruled that the use of loudspeakers is not an essential part of any religion and has directed law enforcement agencies to take prompt action against loudspeakers that violate noise pollution norms. The court also ordered the state government to direct religious institutions to adopt mechanisms for controlling noise levels, including calibrated sound systems with auto-decibel limits. The decision came in response to a petition filed by two housing associations alleging police inaction against noise pollution caused by loudspeakers installed on mosques in the area.
A smoke-free zone would be demarcated around the Golden Temple at Amritsar to shield the historic shrine from the increasing pollution in its vicinity.
This time, Delhi saw a sharp improvement in air quality just ahead of Diwali which can be attributed to intermittent rainfall on Friday and wind speed favourable for the dispersion of pollutants.
Diets rich in sugar, processed foods, and unhealthy fats tend to result in quicker growth and earlier puberty, notes Dr Rohan Palshetkar, head of unit bloom IVF, DY Patil School of Medicine.
The city's 24-hour Air Quality Index, recorded at 4 pm every day, stood at 418, up from 334 the previous day, and it may trigger stringent restrictions under the third stage of the graded response action plan to mitigate hazardous conditions.
The Centre on Monday earmarked a separate Rs 2,217 crore for 42 urban centres to tackle air pollution and announced the much-awaited voluntary vehicle scrapping policy to phase out old and polluting vehicles, even as it shrunk the budgetary allocation for the environment ministry from the last fiscal by nearly eight percent. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her budget speech for 2021-22, announced a total of Rs 2869.93 crore for the ministry, Rs 230 crore less than the last fiscal. Officials said the outlay has been lesser this time as the economy is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Air pollution may lead to a faster spread of Covid-19 infection as it causes coughing and sneezing, government officials told a parliamentary panel on Friday, according to sources.
Virendra Kumar Sinha's pollution control device can be attached to generators or other diesel engines, to bring down noise and air pollution.
Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre and some states for the enforcement of emission norms for vehicles.
The commissioning of these ships is of great significance for the Coast Guard, that is the nodal agency for oil spill response in India's Exclusive Economic Zone under the National Oil Disaster Contingency Plan.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances