West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that he could enjoy a boat ride on the Hooghly in West Bengal due to its clean waters, unlike the polluted Yamuna in Delhi. She also defended women's safety in Bengal and criticised the BJP's governance in other states.
'Can you believe there are over 26,500 deaths linked to heatwave-driven ozone in 2024?'
The 8th World Air Quality report reveals Pakistan as the most polluted country, with India ranking sixth. The report analyses air quality data from over 9,446 cities across 143 countries, highlighting the severe impact of pollution on global health, especially for children.
Residential areas now exist cheek by jowl with smokestacks, while convoys of heavy trucks rumble through narrow roads day and night, throwing up clouds of dust.
These countries demonstrate how clean energy adoption, strong environmental policies and favourable geographical conditions can keep air pollution impressively low. According to the IQAir World Air Quality Report (2024), they consistently maintain annual average PM2.5 levels at or below the World Health Organization's stringent guideline of 5 g/m.
Noida, Bahadurgarh, Delhi, Hapur, Greater Noida, Baghpat, Sonipat, Meerut and Rohtak joined Ghaziabad among the 10 most polluted cities, the report by think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said.
Lahore, Pakistan, has once again been ranked as the world's most polluted city, with hazardous smog levels far exceeding WHO guidelines. The city is battling a toxic mix of vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, and crop residue burning.
Tata Steel's two Dutch subsidiaries are facing a 1.4 billion lawsuit in the Netherlands alleging health and property damage caused by emissions from the company's steelmaking operations, a charge which the Indian conglomerate labelled as "unsubstantiated and speculative". In an exchange filing, Tata Steel said that environmental group Stichting Frisse Wind.nu (SFW) has served a writ of summons on Tata Steel Nederland BV and Tata Steel IJmuiden BV on December 19.
During this Ramzan, another religious practice was turned into an offence: Breaking the fast, or iftar.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the Indian Coast Guard's role during Operation Sindoor and highlighted its importance in national security on the occasion of its 50th Raising Day.
Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer among Indian men, accounting for 11 per cent of all cancer cases.
Four cities in neighbouring Pakistan and one in China are among the world's top 20 polluted cities.
In 2022, India was ranked as the eighth most polluted country with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic metre.
Delhiites continued to breathe toxic air on Tuesday as the air quality edged closer to the severe zone in some areas.
Squandering the relief due to rain, Delhi recorded a jump in pollution levels and a smoky haze returned on Monday morning after residents flouted the ban on firecrackers on Diwali night.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that inducing artificial rain can only be attempted when there are clouds or moisture available.
Byrnihat in Meghalaya topped the list of most polluted cities in India in 2023, closely followed by Begusarai in Bihar and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, according to a report released on Wednesday.
PM2.5 pollution in the national capital has reduced by over 7 per cent in four years, from 108 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019 to 99.71 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022, the report by NCAP Tracker said.
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The city's 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI), recorded at 4 pm daily, stood at 417, making it the worst in the country. On Friday, the AQI level was 396.
The report, however, shows that Delhi's air quality improved by approximately 15 per cent from 2019 to 2020.
Over eight million deaths in 2021 were attributed to air pollution, affecting both children and adults alike.
Pollution is impacting the lifespan of Indians.
India is the most polluted country in the world, with more than 480 million people or about 40 per cent of its population living in the Indo-Gangetic plains in the north where pollution levels regularly exceed those found anywhere else in the world by an order of magnitude, stated the University of Chicago's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report.
The monthly Rs 2500 payment for poor women is expected to cost Rs 11,000 crore while the pension scheme of Rs 2000 for every senior citizen will cost around Rs 4100 crore. The Yamuna clean up will cost over Rs 10,000 crore while a similar amount is required to upgrade Delhi's hospitals. Ultimately, the new BJP government will have no choice but to ask the centre for financial support, notes Rashme Sehgal.
The report Air Quality and Health in Cities combined ground-based air quality data with satellites and models to produce air quality estimates for cities around the world.
Toxic grey smog has sickened tens of thousands of people, mainly children and elderly people, since last month when the air quality started worsening in Lahore, the city bordering India.
India is, indeed, particularly vulnerable to this menace.
These are typically the nations with the biggest industries, biggest production capabilities and the biggest populations.
Air pollution is the third highest cause of death among all health risks in India, ranking just above smoking.
Delhi faces a severe financial crunch and the deficit is largely due to numerous welfare schemes without adequate revenue flowing in. The success of welfare schemes and electoral promises will need careful financial planning and out of the box thinking to whip up additional revenue, notes Ramesh Menon.
New Delhi, which was worst polluted city has improved its position to ninth rank.
The national capital stood sixth in terms of air pollution in January, with cities like Muzzaffarpur in Bihar and Varanasi showing worse air qualities.
In India, the pollution levels are highest in the north.
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.
Air quality in Delhi and its suburbs dropped to the severe category again on Wednesday morning, with smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states accounting for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital.
The air quality is expected to improve further due to wind speed favourable for the dispersion of pollutants.
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.
The poisonous haze has been causing significant problems for people with existing respiratory issues, according to doctors.
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.
