According to the ordinance, a Commission for Air Quality Management will be set up for the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said that the citizens must prompt five of their peers, friends or acquaintances to play their part in reducing the pollution in the national capital by switching their vehicles off while waiting at the traffic signals.
Air pollution may affect our physical and psychological health in the long run. The association between air pollution and schizophrenia cannot be explained by a higher genetic liability in people who grow up in areas with high levels of air pollution, the researcher said.
The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 179 at 9.45 am which falls in the "moderate" category as against 316 on Friday morning. The AQI recorded in Ghaziabad was 264, Greater Noida 241, Noida 254, Gurgaon 165, the Meteorological (MeT) department said.
Most of the air quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded AQI in the very poor category.
The national capital witnessed a dip in pollution levels on Saturday morning even as the air quality in the city remained in the "severe" category.
Responding to the submissions, the bench said, "These steps are well known and the remedies too, but the question is if all this is being done."The bench had on Monday summoned officials of the Delhi government, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the Ministry of Environment and Forests to appear before it.
Delhiites have woken up to a windy morning however the air quality still remains severely unhealthy. It was expected that light showers and strong winds would help to improve the air quality in the capital but it has not been the case thus far.
Twenty-seven of the 37 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi recorded the air quality index in the "severe" category.
The national capital had banned generator sets, barring those being used in essential and emergency services, on Tuesday, as the air quality in several places in the city and adjoining areas slipped to "very poor" level.
Starting October 15, stricter measures to fight air pollution will come into force in Delhi and its neighbourhood as part of the Graded Response Action Plan, which was first implemented in Delhi-NCR in 2017.
Delhi's battle with toxic, 'severe' air may intensify in the new year as authorities have warned that quality of air will reach emergency level on Tuesday if additional local emission, particularly from bursting fire crackers and burning of fossil fuel, continues.
Delhi recorded its second highest pollution level of the year on Sunday and unfavourable meteorological conditions are likely to keep the air quality in the 'severe' category for the next couple of days, authorities said.
Delhi's air quality further deteriorated on Tuesday and was recorded in the 'very poor' category, with the authorities predicting a rise in pollution levels over the next two days.
In the World Health Organisation’s rankings of air pollution, Indian cities claim 14 of the top 15 spots.
Even as residents of the national capital contend with a poor air quality index, the bursting of crackers on Diwali will escalate health hazards over the next few days, experts say.
The national capital's air quality was on the brink of turning severe on Thursday due to stubble burning in the adjoining regions and unfavorable meteorological conditions, authorities said.
Air pollutants trigger allergies, cough, lung infections, high blood pressure, asthma, anxiety, fatigue diabetes, heart disease and even irreversible lung damage.
As parts of the Bhalswa landfill site continued to burn slowly, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation announced a slew of measures that it will take for remediation of the over 60-metre high dump.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
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