Danish badminton player Mia Blichfeldt has criticized the playing conditions at the India Open Super 750 tournament in New Delhi, citing pollution, dirt and bird droppings. She also said she contracted a stomach infection during the event, which she attributed to the poor conditions. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has acknowledged logistical challenges in hosting the event and is looking for alternative venues. This isn't the first time foreign players have raised concerns about playing conditions at badminton events in India.
Delhiites woke up on Thursday to a thick envelope of smog as air quality in the national capital and in adjoining regions, dipped into severe category again.
Everybody seems to be expressing regret about the smog to everybody else in Beijing, observes Sheela Bhatt
Akasa Air has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to exempt it from deploying CAT-III trained pilots on flights to and from two major fog-affected airports, Kolkata and Bengaluru, for specific periods, since there is a shortage of such pilots in its roster.
Plants like aloe vera, spider plant and neem act as the natural air filters.
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.
Delhi's air quality deteriorated significantly on Monday, with areas like Dwarka, Mundka and Najafgarh recording an AQI of 500, the worst this season. The city's overall AQI reached 491, triggering the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-IV restrictions in Delhi-NCR. Doctors warned of health risks, urging people to wear N95 masks and avoid outdoor activities. The Supreme Court questioned the Delhi government on its anti-pollution measures and warned against scaling down preventive measures without its permission. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi accused the BJP-led central government of political maneuvering while neglecting stubble burning in states it governs. Meanwhile, the city enforced stricter pollution control measures, including a ban on truck entry and suspension of construction activities. Air purifier sales surged, reflecting the public's concern over the severe air pollution.
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.
Although each vehicle has become cleaner, air quality remains poor because of the drastic increase in the number of vehicles
The SC questioned the Delhi government over delay in implementation of stricter anti-pollution measures under GRAP-4, and said it will not allow scaling down of the preventive measures without its prior permission.
Air pollution levels in New Delhi escalated to hazardous and visibility dropped significantly as a thick blanket of smog engulfed several parts of the city on Sunday morning.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanulllah and Augustine George Masih said the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act of 2021 (CAQM Act) was enacted without creating required machinery for implementing the provision to curb air pollution.
Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten half-century to steer India to a thrilling two-wicket victory against England in Chennai on Saturday.
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.
On Friday, for the second day in a row, residents across Mumbai woke up to unusually thick smog in the air.
Curbs under Stage III include a ban on non-essential construction and demolition, closure of stone crushers and mining activities in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).
Pollution levels skyrocketed by the hour in Delhi on Sunday, turning the air quality hazardous, which agencies consider unfit for inhalation even by healthier people.
Uncertainty looms over Lanka-Bangla World Cup clash due to severe air pollution
The air quality in Delhi is turning worse, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
'Many of these patients arrive at emergency departments in distress, struggling to breathe and requiring immediate medical intervention.'
Delhi's air quality plummeted to alarming levels on Tuesday after 24 days, with many areas witnessing a significant spike in pollution despite the strictest measures, including a ban on construction activities and the entry of trucks into the city, coming into force.
The court was informed that the commission for air quality management will start functioning from today.
A cold wave has gripped many parts of north and east India, with Srinagar recording a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius. Other areas experiencing below-freezing temperatures include Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Konibal, Qazigund, Kupwara, and Kokernag in Kashmir. Himachal Pradesh has issued an orange warning for severe cold wave conditions in several districts. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 5.9 degrees Celsius, while Faridkot in Punjab was the coldest in the region at 0 degrees Celsius. Extreme cold conditions also continued in parts of Rajasthan and Jharkhand. The Met office has forecast mainly dry weather until December 26, with the possibility of light snowfall in the higher reaches of Kashmir on the intervening night of December 21-22.
'It is time to think up a policy of incentivising farmers in the states around Delhi.' 'Let's say a farmer is given an incentive for not burning his crop stubble and instead handing over the task of incinerating the crop stubble to a State-run-or-funded community initiative.' 'The incentive can take the form of, say, fertilisers, or even direct cash transfers,' recommends Somasekhar Sundaresan.
The fine particulate matter PM2.5 touched 304 micrograms per cubic metre on Saturday, which is regarded very unhealthy specially for people with heart and lung problems.
Some residents have already taken this step to relocate, either temporarily or permanently, some to their native places and others to clean-air destinations like Goa and Himachal Pradesh.
The dense cover of grey haze shrouding Delhi for almost a week, reminiscent of the 1952 Great Smog in London, plunged the city's air quality to the season's worst.
With the skies over Delhi clouded with smog, many cast worried eyes on the fate of the first India-Bangladesh Twenty20 International scheduled at the Arun Jaitley stadium on Sunday.
Uttam Ghosh offers his take on the capital's smog and deteriorating air quality at a time when the Delhi government and the Centre bicker daily on other issues.
Parts of north China will see the worst smog so far this year the National Meteorological Centre said on Saturday.
'Our politicians solely depend on bureaucrats who are unaccountable and follow their own agenda.' 'Our politicians would dare not dream of establishing a DOGE,' argues Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
Some of the areas still gripped in the hazardous category of air quality index.
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.
New Delhi's overall air quality index read 456 at 4 pm, up from 425 at 4 pm on Tuesday.
An AQI of 400 or higher is deemed 'severe' and it can have an adverse effect on both healthy individuals and people who already have medical conditions.
The meeting was focussed on air pollution and stubble burning.
The national capital is facing the worst smog in 17 years, the Centre for Science and Environment had said on Thursday.
Bollywood urges its followers to save the planet.
Firms are offering employees flexi hours; demand for air purifiers, masks have skyrocketed.
When the Chinese government enacted its 'Great Shutdown' in Beijing, which compelled reduction of industrial activity by 30% and cut automobile use by half, athletes competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics could breathe a little easier, literally. But where'd all the smog go?
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