16-05-24 Statesman Delhi

Continued suspension of dust

the wind direction and speeds are rapidly changing due to high convection rates and absolute dry conditions coupled with high temperatures leading to continued suspension of dust over the NCR.

Higher instances of residue burning

higher instances of agricultural residue burning in and around NCR areas and also the forest fires in the nearby states could also be having an impact on the overall air quality of Delhi-NCR.

Steps to prevent dust accumulation

• The urgent steps includes to conduct intensive drives at major pollution hotspots in the region focusing on dust abatement measures and their monitoring,
• augment the number/frequency of water sprinklers and mechanical road sweeping equipment in the region and
• keep a close watch on fire instances and open burning of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in and around NCR, and ensure all preventive measures.
• keep a strong vigil on all road construction/ maintenance projects for effective implementation of the prescribed measures, NCR State PCBs/ DPCC to intensify enforcement mechanism of all dust control measures at C&D project sites and
• flying squads of the CPCB to also intensify inspections for appropriate action against sites/ projects flouting the statutory directions of the Commission.

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

• Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM)
• 243 (‘Poor’ category)

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March 2025

Measures to tackle air pollution

• After 31st March, fuel will not be given to 15 year old vehicles.
• There are some big office complexes, big construction sites, hotels, for which installing anti smog guns will be made mandatory,.
• The government is planning to do cloud seeding when there is severe air pollution, so that pollution can be controlled.

2024 World Air Quality report

13 out of the top 20 most polluted cities are in India with annual average PM 2.5 concentration of 128.2 micro grams per cubic metre. New Delhi is world's most polluted capital, followed by N'Djamena Between 2018 and 2024, New Delhi topped the list except in 2022, when N'Djamena edged past it. Meghalaya's Byrnihat is the world's most polluted metropolitan area. WHO annual guidelines for PM 2.5 is 5 micro grams per cubic metre, India's Central Pollution Control Board has set it to 40 micro grams per cubic metre. Prepared by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir.

May 2025

08. 05. 2025 - Hindu

• Delhi cabinet approved 3.21 crores for 5 cloud seeding trials.
• Explore the feasibility of inducing artificial rain through cloud seeding in may to curb air pollution
• Each trial costs 55 lakhs and 2.75 crores set aside for 5 trials
• 46 lakhs to cover aircraft calibration, chemical storage, logistics and other costs involved
• IIT Kanpur will be implementing the task

November 2025

"Severe" AQI crossing 400

Anand Vihar monitoring station recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 416 at 8 am, on 20.11.2025. Minimum temperatures have dropped into single digits. expected to remain below normal by 1.6 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius over the next five days.

Classification of AQI

SC allows CAQM wider powers to curb pollution

• Supreme Court on Wednesday, granted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) complete freedom to take “any proactive measure” to reduce pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.

• Court stresses protection of workers, monitoring

• The Bench directed authorities to fill vacancies in pollution control boards and ensure subsistence allowances for daily wage labourers affected by GRAP III restrictions.

• Asked CAQM to examine concerns around schools holding sports events during peak pollution months.

Measures proposed by CAQM

CAQM proposed introducing select GRAP IV measures, such as work-from-home advisories and 50 per cent office attendance, during the ongoing GRAP III stage.

MCD orders strict dust- control measures

The Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday issued time-bound directions to intensify dust-control efforts, mandating round-the-clock mechanical road sweeping, immediate debris clearance, and strict action against garbage burning, while approving the purchase of 14 new sweepers to boost pollution mitigation. Business Standard

Delhi to study its pollution sources for the 1st time in 7 yrs

Source apportionment studies are scientific analyses of different pollution sources and their contribution to overall air quality in an area.

This will be the sixth such study conducted in Delhi since 2010 and the latest being done in 2018. The study focused largely on particulate matter less than 10 micrometres (PM10) in diameter, which was the main pollutant being recorded at the time.

Results of 2010 CPCB study

Between 2015 and 2016, IIT Kanpur conducted a comprehensive source apportionment and emissions inventory study for the Delhi government, including in its assessment PM2.5 and other pollutants.

Results of 2015 study by IIT Kanpur

MoEFCC mandated apportionment studies in 2019

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) mandated source apportionment studies in 2019 for 131 cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched the same year.

The real time study in 2023

Previous studies used air quality samples collected over extended periods, which was labour-intensive and required lengthy data analysis.

The 2023 study, DPCC, IIT Kanpur and a consortium of organisations, including IIT Delhi, conducted a real-time source apportionment study for the capital.

SIA

• The highest contribution towards air pollution comes from secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA).
• These are particles not emitted by a single source but formed through chemical reactions when multiple gases mix in the air and interact with sunlight.
• Gases such as sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide are examples of SIAs that are formed from emissions by factories and power plants.

The need for regular update

The NCAP document published in 2019 explains how source contributions to pollution vary within a city across different seasons, time periods and years. Experts recommend conducting these studies every two to three years

Various sources of air pollution

• dust,
• construction,
• transport,
• power generation,
• stubble burning Print