Delhi, NCR Air Pollution LIVE Updates: \’Don\’t shift burden onto the court,\’ SC to Delhi govt on odd-even strategy

The Supreme Court, on Friday, made it clear that the decision on introducing the odd-even strategy in the national capital needs to be taken by the government. The SC also asked the government to not shift the onus of making decision on the court. 

\”I am agreeing with you. We never said that. Don\’t try to non-perform and shift the burden onto the court. This is what is happening,\” Justice Kaul observed.

A sudden change in the weather has brought huge relief for the national capital as well as for other northern states. Punjab\’s Jalandhar witnessed an improvement in air quality due to rainfall on Friday. People got some relief from pollution in the city after the intense rainfall.

The rain is expected to bring relief to the patients who are suffering from viral infection due to the stubble smoke and air pollution spread across the state

The Supreme Court, in its hearing on Friday, asked Punjab and other states nearby Delhi to stop crop residue burning . 

While hearing a matter relating to the debilitating air pollution in Delhi-NCR, a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed there were several reports and committees on the pollution issue, but nothing was happening at the ground level.

During the hearing, NGT also questioned Haryana government over its inaction on controlling rising air pollution in the state. Look at Fatehabad – it is severe and hasn\’t improved since Nov 3, said NGT bench.

After going through the reply copies by various states, the Tribunal decided to kept the order reserved in the matter.

Amid rising air pollution in north Indian states, National Green Tribunal, on Friday, pulled of various states for their inefficiancy in dealing with poor AQI.

 \”Point out one city where situation has improved?\” No improvement in Amritsar.. Bathinda remains in poor category… We showed you satellite image last time, What is shown in report and shown in satellite image does not match, \” added the bench during hearing on Friday.

Delhi University advances winter break in view of air pollutio. The winter break is now from 13 to 19 Nov.

In the wake of rising air pollution in north Indian states, the Union Health Ministry has asked Delhi and its neighbouring states to make necessary healthcare preparations to deal with any rush of patients triggered by poor air quality. 

In a letter to the health departments of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan this week, Director General of Health Services Atul Goel said air pollution not only accounts for acute illnesses but also precipitates exacerbation of chronic illnesses of respiratory, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems.

Environment Minister Gopal Rai, on Friday, said that the odd-even car rationing scheme will not be implemented from November 13 to November 20 as there has been a significant improvement in Delhi\’s air quality due to rain. 

He said the government will review the air quality situation after Diwali and a call on the odd-even scheme may be taken if there\’s sudden dip in air quality.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist Soma Sen Roy told news agency ANI the weather department is \”expecting only clouding over Delhi\”. She said the weather turned out to be more intense… The Western Disturbance continues to remain along the 70 degrees east and 28 degrees north with induced cyclonic circulations at the lower level…\”

\”We are expecting widespread rainfall over the western Himalayan region… We are expecting rains in Punjab, Haryana, North Rajasthan and parts of UP… We expect clear skies from tomorrow and cold winds will start in the plains of North Western India due to snowfall in the hilly areas… The temperature may fall by 2 to 4 degree Celcius for the next 4 to 5 days…\”

The Supreme Court in the hearing on Delhi pollution on Friday questioned the Odd-Even rule and ordered to stop farm fires immediately.

\”As per the report from amicus curiae, advocate assisting the court on the issue, odd-even does not help; it will have a minimal impact,\” said a bench headed by Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul.

We have a lot of reports and committees, but nothing is happening at ground level, says SC.

The Supreme Court on Friday said that crop residue burning in Punjab and some other states adjacent to Delhi have to be stopped and solution has to found to reduce the pollution level in the national capital region (NCR).

While hearing a matter relating to the debilitating air pollution in the Delhi-NCR, a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed there were several reports and committees on the pollution issue, but nothing was happening at the ground level.

Amid the air emergency in the national capital, the Union Health Ministry on Friday issued an advisory for children in Delhi and neighbouring states amid mounting pollution concerns and toxic air days that have emerged as a clear and present danger to public health.

However, in a measure of respite from the smog or toxic cloud that has been hanging heavy over the national capital in the last week and more, the city on Friday received showers that saw the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) drop below 400.

Supreme Court tells states to show results on steps taken to curb pollution and posts matter on November 21 and said, “Farm fires must stop. The decline must go on during the Diwali holidays.\”

Cabinet Secretary to continue monitor progress

On odd even the Court said we did not ask the Delhi government to have odd even on taxis as well and told the Delhi government, “What you have to do, you do. If odd even has minimal effect also, you do. You have to take a call or else you will say pollution is due to SC order.\”

Court said DPCC has complied with the order on making smog tower at CP operational and dispensed with the personal presence of DPCC Chairman.

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: \”Don\’t try to not perform and then shift the burden on to the court,\” Supreme Court to Delhi government on government’s submission that will finalise policy on odd-even after Supreme Court’s order

National Green Tribunal (NGT)says – What will happen to residents of the cities in Punjab? Cities in Punjab are engulfed in smoke. It rained today. God came to your rescue because God also realised that nothing is being done at your end.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) raps Punjab Pollution Control Board; asks, “Is there any improvement in any place?\”, “Point out one city where situation has improved?\”…“What is shown in report and shown in satellite image does not match\”.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) hears pleas regarding deteriorating AQI in various cities.

Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar governments\’ lawyers say that they have filed a reply.

Uttar Pradesh\’s counsel says that all efforts are being taken and all directions will be complied with.

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: Supreme Court asks Centre and Punjab government about what steps they are taking as a long-term measure to slowly phase out paddy to restore the water table in Punjab.

\”We want farm fires stopped, we want air quality to get better. It\’s your business how it occurs,\” says Supreme Court. 

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: Supreme Court makes it clear that it wants farm fires to stop.

“We suggested a methodology, you do it however you want. But farm fires must be stopped. Some emergency measures are required to stop the farm fires,\” says Supreme Court

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: On today’s rain in the national capital, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul says that the people have to pray only, sometimes wind comes and helps, and sometimes rains.

“God may have heard the prayers of people and intervened, no thanks to the government,\” says Justice Kaul.

The Supreme Court expresses concern on the reducing groundwater in Punjab and says there is a need to phase out paddy cultivation in the state.

\”Water table in Punjab is going down. We don\’t want another desert there. Phasing out of paddy is needed,\” Supreme Court observes. 

On weather in Delhi-NCR in the upcoming few days, IMD scientist Soma Sen Roy says, \”We were expecting only clouding over Delhi. The weather turned out to be more intense… The Western Disturbance continues to remain along the 70 degrees east and 28 degrees north with induced cyclonic circulations at the lower level… We are expecting widespread rainfall over the western Himalayan region… We are expecting rains in Punjab, Haryana, North Rajasthan and parts of UP… We expect clear skies from tomorrow and cold winds will start in the plains of North Western India due to snowfall in the hilly areas… The temperature may fall by 2 to 4 degree Celcius for the next 4 to 5 days…\”

On weather in Delhi-NCR in the upcoming few days, IMD scientist Soma Sen Roy says, \”We were expecting only clouding over Delhi. The weather turned out to be more intense… The Western Disturbance continues to remain along the 70 degrees east and 28 degrees north with induced cyclonic circulations at the lower level… We are expecting widespread rainfall over the western Himalayan region… We are expecting rains in Punjab, Haryana, North Rajasthan and parts of UP… We expect clear skies from tomorrow and cold winds will start in the plains of North Western India due to snowfall in the hilly areas… The temperature may fall by 2 to 4 degree Celcius for the next 4 to 5 days…\”

On Friday morning, Delhi\’s air quality experienced a notable improvement following a spell of light to moderate rain, expected to persist for an additional hour. The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi dropped to \’very poor\’ category, a significant shift from \’severe\’ category it had sustained for a week.

Read more here

Morning showers in parts of Delhi on Friday offered marginal improvement in the toxic air that people in the national capital had been battling with over the past few weeks.

The overall air quality in Delhi at 7 am today was 407, according to data by the government\’s air-quality monitoring agency SAFAR. The Air Quality Index recorded at 10 am was at 361 which according to the index range falls in the \’Very Poor\’ category but showed a slight improvement from the \”Severe\” category.

As per SAFAR data, the overall air quality index of Airport T3 stands at 352. 

The Delhi government will take a call on the implementation of the proposed odd-even car-rationing scheme in the city after the Supreme Court reviews its effectiveness and issues an order. The matter will be heard on Friday.

In an era where environmental concerns are at an all-time high, the need for clean and breathable indoor air has become increasingly important. Indoor pollution, often overlooked, can have detrimental effects on our health and well-being. This is where air purifiers come to the rescue, and when it comes to dependable and efficient air purifiers, Sharp has consistently stood out as a trusted brand.

Read more here

Mumbai is currently experiencing high levels of air pollution. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will chair a meeting today to review the current pollution situation in the state.

Read more here

The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi Wednesday banned the entry of app-based taxis into the national capital to curb air pollution, reported PTI.

Read more here

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai says \”A positive impact of rainfall has been noticed on the AQI level. There has been an improvement in the AQI index…We are going to put forward to the Supreme Court our studies on the implementation of the Odd-Even scheme and the need for artificial rainfall to control pollution in Delhi…\”

Overnight rain led to a rapid improvement in Delhi\’s air quality on Friday morning and cleared the haze that had been lingering for over 10 days.

Delhi\’s AQI stood at 376 at 9 am, rapidly improving from 408 at 7 am on Friday and 460 at 11 pm on Thursday. The air quality is expected to improve further due to wind speed favourable for the dispersion of pollutants.

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: Findings in DIMTS report broadly indicated a positive impact in reduction of the air pollution contributed by vehicles, besides reduction of congestion on Delhi roads as well as increase in share of public transport during the period of odd-even drive, Delhi govt to Supreme Court

Delhi govt says reduced vehicle km travelled would also result in reduced fuel consumption during odd-even scheme in the city. It has been estimated that there was about 15% decrease in fuel consumption on average day during odd-even scheme implementation, Delhi govt tells Supreme Court through an affidavit.

The Delhi govt tells Supreme Court that as per the analysis, there was a decrease of about 6% vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) during the odd-even scheme period amounting to 37.80 lakh vehicle – km/day.

Factors leading to elevated air pollution during winters.

Among the top 10 cities with the worst air quality as of 8 am, 5 were in Haryana, 3 were in Uttar Pradesh, one in Bihar and one was the national capital, Delhi. Nine cities recorded “severe\” AQI level today. The national capital, Delhi, ranked fourth on the list with 24-hour average AQI.

Read more here

Launching a scathing attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the worsening pollution levels in the national capital, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday said the people, the highest office of justice in the country and even the Almighty have turned against him for \’poisoning\’ the city\’s air.

Taking to his official handle on X, the BJP leader posted, \”Has the God, too, turned against Arvind Kejriwal after the people and the Supreme Court? Everyone\’s angry and upset with him for poisoning the air, water and lives in Delhi. Thankfully, the Almighty blessed Delhi with some showers today,\” Dubey posted in Hindi on X.

Delhi: Drone visuals show changes in weather after rain lashes several parts of the city.

Delhi: Rain lashes several parts of the national capital. 

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

Over the past few days, the pollution in Delhi has been worsening, causing significant problems for its residents and shrouding other parts of northern India, including cities in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and more, in a toxic haze. As of 5 pm on Wednesday, the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi stood at a \’very poor\’ level of 398.

Read more here

Amid worsening air quality in the National Capital Region, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop burning crop stubble immediately, saying it was a “substantial\” contributor to air pollution in Delhi.

Read more here

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 Centre 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 Centre is not in favour 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.