Delhi, NCR Air Pollution LIVE Updates: Light rainfall in capital city, AQI still in ‘severe’ category

Delhi: National capital witnesses sudden change in weather; received light rainfall.

Overnight rain led to a visible improvement in Delhi’s air quality on Friday morning after more than a week of hazardous pollution.

The improvement is expected to be reflected in the air quality index as the day progresses — the AQI at any given time is the average of readings taken in the last 24 hours.

At 7 am, Delhi’s AQI stood at 408, improving from 437 at 4 pm on Thursday.

As the overall air quality in Delhi remained in ‘very poor’ category on Thursday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that all Delhi ministers will work at the ground level to ensure the implementation of air pollution control measures.

“A joint meeting was held with all the ministers of Delhi and discussions were held on how to activate the departments because implementation is a big challenge. The Cabinet has expressed displeasure over administrative laxity. The ministers will be working at the ground level in different districts ,” Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said after a review meeting on Thursday.

According to SAFAR data, the overall air quality index of Noida stands at 475.

The Center will dispatch flying squads to Punjab and Haryana to monitor stubble burning incidents and submit daily reports, government sources said on Thursday.

This decision was made at a meeting chaired by the cabinet secretary on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by chief secretaries and other senior officials from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi, as well as the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) and secretaries from the ministries of environment, agriculture, housing and urban affairs , and power.

Smog towers are not a solution to the air pollution problem in Delhi-NCR and the Center is not in favor of installing more giant air purifiers, central government sources said on Thursday.

They said the effectiveness of smog towers in combating air pollution was discussed at an emergency meeting attended by officials from the Commission for Air Quality Management, states and the ministries concerned on Wednesday.

Delhi witnesses sudden change in weather, receives light rain

A local says, “Weather is better today after the rain. Earlier there was smog everywhere, but today it is good. Elderly people must take care of themselves and come out of the house with masks…”

The Delhi government has decided to bear the entire cost of artificial rain to combat hazardous air pollution in the city and directed the chief secretary to present the government’s views before the Supreme Court on Friday, officials said.

If the Center supports the decision, the Delhi government can arrange for the first phase of artificial rain in the city by November 20, they said on Thursday.

Delhi witnesses sudden change in weather, receives light rain.

Stubble burning is a major contributor to Delhi’s deteriorating air quality, according to the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) data.

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Air quality across Delhi continues to be in the ‘Severe’ category as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

AQI in Ashok Vihar at 462, in RK Puram at 461, in Punjabi Bagh at 460 and in ITO at 464.

Delhi NCR region received light rainfall post midnight and in the early morning on November 10 bringing much-needed respite from the increased air pollution in the capital. Delhi’s AQI on Friday morning at 6 am was 407 according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) which was an improvement from the day before.

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Rain lashes parts of the national capital.

Amid high pollution levels in the national capital, the Delhi Traffic Police issued over 1,300 challans in a single day to vehicle owners driving without PUC certificates, officials said on Thursday.

On Sunday, after the city’s air quality plummeted to the ‘Severe Plus’ category, Stage IV of the Centre’s pollution control plan — Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — came into effect in Delhi. Under GRAP Stage IV, all kinds of construction work and the entry of polluting trucks into the city are banned.

In view of the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, the Delhi government has decided to bear the entire cost of ‘artificial rain’ to curb the air pollution in the city, officials said.

Also, the Delhi government has directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to present the government’s views before the Supreme Court on Friday.

As the national capital continues to struggle with the problem of air pollution, the Aam Admi Party-led Delhi government decided to field Delhi ministers to ensure the implementation of anti-pollution measures.

As part of the inspection process, several Delhi ministers were seen on Thursday inspecting different areas and borders connecting Delhi to neighboring states.

Several parts of Delhi NCR received light rainfall on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, bringing a much-needed respite from the increased air pollution in the national capital.