New Delhi Mar 23 PTI With Delhi being adjudged the most polluted capital in the world for the fourth consecutive year in 2021 experts feel that the lack of systematic implementation of plans and policies to fight air pollution in the entire airshed has been keeping the problem aliveAn airshed is the entire area over which the pollutants disperse due to meteorological and geographical factorsDelhi is the worlds most polluted capital for the fourth consecutive year in 2021 with pollution rising almost 15 per cent over the previous year according to the World Air Quality Report released by IQAir a Swiss firm Air pollution levels 964 micrograms per cubic meterin the capital were around 20 times above the WHO-prescribed safe limit of five micrograms per cubic meterThe reason why Delhi hasnt been able to improve its air quality all these years is due to the lack of a systematic and comprehensive policy implementation targeting absolute emission load reduction Sunil Dahiya from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air saidLondon and Beijing were more polluted than Delhi at one time but they improved their air quality with the systematic and coordinated implementation of policies he saidIn Delhi we have a plethora of policies and agencies including the Commission for Air Quality Management and the National Clean Air Programme Several pollution-related cases are in courts and the city government is also making efforts But little has been done keeping the larger airshed in mind Thats the reason the overall emission load primarily due to fossil fuel burning has not reduced Dahiya saidDespite transportation accounting for a large share in the overall emission load in Delhi the government has shied away from capping the number of cars and setting a target to reduce the consumption of diesel and petrolThough the Delhi government has introduced Delhi Electric Vehicles policy which aims at increasing the EV share in total vehicle sales to 25 percent by 2024 vehicles plying in neighboring areas also affect its air quality Dahiya saidAccording to The Energy and Resources Institute Delhi could reduce its PM 25 concentrations by nearly 35 percent by 2030 as compared to the 2019 emissions if efforts are made to manage pollution in the entire national capital region Karthik Ganesan a research fellow at Council on Energy Environment and Water said all industries in the national capital region are yet to switch to PNG barring Delhi and that doesnt solve the problemAlso public transport augmentation in Delhi has not happened speedily The authorities are constructing peripheral expressways but that doesnt take the fossil fuel-driven vehicles far from the city he saidGanesan said if air pollution has reduced in the capital over the years as claimed by the authorities they should tell what factors led to the decreaseAnd we should not be talking about air pollution in winter alone The air is equally bad in summers and nobody talks about the Decision Support System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology he saidThough the city government has taken several steps to reduce air pollution like directing fuel stations not to give fuel without a valid pollution-under-control certificate there is no way to know whether the directions are being implemented on the groundAnother problem with Delhi is the multiplicity of agencies which hamper the implementation of plans and policies to curb air pollution Ganesan ruedThe steps to reduce air pollution are all laid out in the city action plan The authorities should now focus on their implementation he addedChandra BhushanPresident and CEO of the International Forum for Environment Sustainability Technology said the problem is that authorities have a very simplistic approach to deal with air pollution in IndiaWe think if we can deal with certain sectors the issue will be resolved It wont For example our focus has been mainly on the transport sector -- we brought in BS VI CNG and now EVs while burning of biomass and coal accounts for around 80 percent of the air pollution in our country he saidThe expert said thermal power plants not being able to implement emission standards has been the biggest failure of the Environment Ministry and the Central Pollution Control Board Till the time we reduce burning of biomass and use of coal There has been no country which has been able to reduce air pollution without reducing the burning of biomass and coal China for example reduced the burning of biomass for cooking which we are also trying he saidChandra Bushan said the biggest step that authorities in India have taken to reduce pollution is proving LPG connection to every household Biomass burning is the one common source responsible for a large percentage of air pollution in the countryAsking people to obtain a valid PUCC is easy as compared to asking people not to burn wood for cooking We will have to makeLPG affordable to be able to dothat he addedDesertification is the second major factor for increased air pollution in Delhi over the last 15 years We will have to restore large parcels of degradedland restore our water bodies and plant trees he saidPTI GVS TDS TDS TDS TDS

New Delhi Jan 27 PTI The Delhi government spent Rs 1046 crore on advertisements related to the Red Light On Gaadi Off campaign to reduce vehicular pollution over the last two years according to data obtained through an RTI applicationUnder the campaign launched on October 16 2020 drivers are encouraged to switch off their vehicles while waiting for the traffic light to turn greenThe Delhi government spent Rs 1046 crore on advertisements related to the campaign in the year 2020-21 according to the reply to an RTI application filed by social activist Amit GuptaThe city governments advertising agency Shabdarth said it did not incur any expenses on ads pertaining to the drive in the year 2021-22It added that the government has spent Rs 1306 crore on pollution-related advertisements in the financial year2021-22 so farAs part of the Red Light On Gaadi Off campaign the environment department deploys civil defence volunteers at major traffic junctions in the city who ensure the commuters kill the engine while waiting at traffic signals and also hand out pamphlets carrying information on vehicular pollution The department deployed around 2500 civil defence volunteers in two shifts of 8 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 8 pm at 100 traffic junctions in the latest leg of the campaign from October 18 to December 18 last yearThe government pays Rs 700 a day to every volunteeraccording to officialsData from the Petroleum Conservation Research Association PCRA shows that if people switch off engines at traffic signals pollution can be cut down by 13-20 per cent As per government estimates the transport sector accounts for 28 per cent of the PM25 emissions in Delhi Vehicular contribution also makes up 80 per cent of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide in Delhis airA total of 133 crore vehicles are registered in Delhi currently The count of vehicles in thenational capital more than doubled to 643 per thousand population in 2019-20 from 317 in 2005-06PTI GVS SRY

New Delhi Jan 19 PTI Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the government will monitor the COVID-19 situation for three to four days to confirm the trend of positivity rate before reviewing the curbs in the national capitalHe said the city is likely to see around 13000 cases on Wednesday with a positivity rate of around 24 per centThe Covid positivity rate has come down from 30 per cent to 225 per cent in Delhi The rate should be half of it We will monitor the situation for three to four days the minister said on reviewing the curbs in the cityDelhi had logged 11684 Covid cases on Tuesday with a positivity rate of 2247 per cent It saw 12527 cases and 24 deaths on Monday and the positivity rate was 2799 per centResponding to a question about low rate of testing in Delhi Jain said no one is being denied a Covid test and the authorities are following the guidelines issued by the CentreThey said high-risk contacts of Covid patients and those with symptoms should be tested On Tuesday they clarified that tests be conducted in some pockets in the community too which we are doing he saidDelhi had been conducting 50000 to 60000 coronavirus tests daily for the last six months he addedPTI GVS SRY

New Delhi Dec 22 PTI Delhi is set to achieve the milestone of providing at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible people according to government dataAccording to Co-WIN dashboard14786476 people in the national capital have taken at least one dose of Covid vaccine by 730 pm on WednesdayAccording to district authorities 14833713 people aged above 18 are eligiblefor vaccination against the novel coronavirus infection Also as per the draft roll published on November 1 2021 the total number of electors in Delhi stand at 14795949Over 25214677crore doses have been administered in the city since the inoculation exercise started on January 16 As many as 10428201people have received both the dosesOver 102 lakh people were vaccinated against the infection in Delhi on WednesdayAuthorities in northwest Delhi district administered the maximum number of doses 2963 lakh followed by southwest Delhi 2936 lakh and west Delhi 2722 lakh In view of the threat posed by the new Covid variant Omicron the authorities have increased the pace of vaccination in the city in the last few weeksGovernment officials said district authorities have set up special facilities to contact people who are eligible for the second dose but have not taken itWe call up such people and ask them to take their second dose immediately an official said The authorities are also identifying clusters having low vaccination rateAnganwadi workers self-help groups and non-government organisations go to such clusters and convince people to get vaccinated the official addedPTI GVS SRY

New Delhi Dec 19 PTI The national capital on Sunday recorded 107 fresh COVID-19 cases the highest since June 27 and one death as the positivity rate stood at 017 per cent according to data shared by the city health departmentOn June 27 Delhi had logged 259 coronavirus cases with four deaths according to the government dataThe city logged 86 new cases on Saturday and 69 on FridayThe rise in daily cases comes amid the Omicron scare in Delhi as the total number of patients infected with the latest variant of the coronavirus jumped by 12 on Friday to reach 22The number of Covid cases recorded in Delhi so far has reached 1442197 Over 1416 lakh patients have recovered from the diseaseThe death toll due to the coronavirus infection in Delhi stands at 25101Three deaths due to COVID-19 have been recorded in December so far in Delhi Seven COVID-19 deaths were reported in November four in October and five in September PTI GVS IJT

New Delhi Dec 17 PTI The Commission for Air Quality Management CAQM on Friday allowed authorities in Delhi-NCR to resume physical classes for students in class 6 and above colleges and other educational institutions with immediate effectPhysical classes for students up to class 5 can begin from December 27 the Centres pollution control body saidThe Commission said it received a large number of representations arguing the compelling necessity to open the schools and educational institutionsFollowing the directions of the Supreme Court the Commission examined the requests of various organisations regarding relaxations on the restrictions imposed a statement saidPTI GVS SRY

New Delhi Nov 28 PTI Unable to afford medical treatment in Dubai a 34-year-old Indian carpenter flew into Delhi with a severed thumb wrapped in a bandage after 22 hours of the incident A delay of two hours would have drastically reduced the chances of recovery Sandeep who hails from Rajasthan lost his left thumb while working on a saw machine in September His modest income did not allow him treatment in Dubai Doctors there put the thumb between the fingers and wrapped a bandage around it On arriving in India the family took him to Aakash Healthcare it being the nearest hospital to the airport The saw had cut three vessels causing loss of 300 ml of blood in less than 24 hours doctors at the hospital said We took him in for surgery within 10 minutes of reaching the hospital The procedure technically known as reimplantation and conducted under regional anesthesia took six hours to complete This is a highly specialised process where micro suture and micro instruments are used said Dr Aashish Chaudhry Director and Head Orthopaedics Joint Replacement Department The doctors harvested a part of a vein from the forearm to place between the severed arteries of the thumb The patient has recovered well and is ready to join work in another fortnight Chaudhry said Doctors termed it a rare surgery as an amputated thumb can be successfully reattached within 24 hours only if it is preserved in a cold container or surrounded by ice Sandeep is lucky to have reached the hospital in the nick of time A delay of two more hours would have reduced the likelihood of complete recovery to just 20-30 per cent they saidPTI GVS CK

New Delhi Nov 26 PTI Air pollution levels in Delhi worsened on Friday morning due to unfavourable meteorological conditions -- low temperature and slow wind speed -- and the air quality index read 403 at 9 am which falls in the severe categoryLow temperatures and slow surface winds allow accumulation of pollutantsThe citys 24-hour average air quality index AQI read 400 on Thursday eveningThe air quality in the capital has remained very poor or severe on most of the days in November so far Delhi recorded lowest air pollution levels -- in terms of 24-hour average quality index -- on November 1 AQI 281 followed by November 23 AQI 290Neighbouring Faridabad 417 Ghaziabad 373 Greater Noida 378 Gurgaon 361 and Noida 383 also saw a dip in air quality on Friday morningAn AQI between zero 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 severeDelhi recorded a minimum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 28 degrees Celsius According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences air quality monitor SAFAR no relief is likely till MondayLocal emissions and weatherare likely to be the dominant factors controlling air quality it saidThe Delhi government on Thursday reimposed the ban on construction and demolition activities following the Supreme Court order in this regardThe apex court reimposed the ban on construction activities in Delhi-NCR on Wednesday until further ordersChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the workers affected by the ban on construction activities in the national capital will be provided a financial assistance of Rs 5000 each and his government will also compensate them for the loss of minimum wagesThe ban on construction and demolition activities was lifted on Monday in view of an improvement in the air quality and the inconvenience caused to the workersThe Delhi government had on Wednesday decided to resume physical classes in schools colleges and other educational institutions and reopen government offices from November 29The ban on the entry of trucks barring those engaged in essential services will continue till December 3 However CNG and electric trucks will be allowed to enter Delhi from November 27On November 13 the city government had ordered the closure of all educational institutes banned construction and demolition activities and asked its employees to work from home to combat air pollution and minimise its health effectsFour days later it extended the restrictions besides banning the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items in DelhiPTI GVS DV DV

New Delhi Nov 24 PTI The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the continuation of umbrella scheme ACROSS for the next five years at an estimated cost of Rs 2135 croreThe Atmosphere Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems Services ACROSS scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences MoES through the India Meteorological Department National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information ServicesACROSS pertains to the ministrys atmospheric science programmes and addresses different aspects of weather and climate servicesEach of these aspects is incorporated as eight sub-schemes under the umbrella scheme ACROSS and is implemented in an integrated manner through the four agenciesThe objective of the scheme is to provide improved weather climate ocean forecast and services and other hazard-related services to ensure transfer of commensurate benefits to the end-userPTI GVS IJT

New Delhi Nov 22 PTI The Delhi government on Monday lifted the ban on construction and demolition activities in the city in view of an improvement in air quality and the inconvenience caused to workers Environment Minister Gopal Rai saidHe also said the government will take a call on reopening of schools colleges and other educational institutions and work-from-home for government staff during a review meeting on WednesdayWe will discuss if CNG-operated trucks carrying non-essential items be allowed to enter Delhi if the situation continues to improve Rai saidThe Delhi government had on Sunday night extended the ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items and work-from-home for its employees till November 26 to combat air pollution and minimise its health effectsFor some time the air quality index remained above the 600-mark However stringent and comprehensive steps taken to contain air pollution and change in the wind pattern have resulted in a gradual decline in air pollution levels which had been increasing since Diwali the minister saidIn view of the improvement in the air quality and inconvenience caused to workers we have decided to lift the ban on construction and demolition activities However the government will continue to monitor the implementation of dust control measures All agencies will have to strictly follow the 14-point guidelines issued against dust pollution he said at a press conferenceFollowing orders from the Commission for Air Quality Management CAQM the Delhi government had on Wednesdayissued10directions including a ban on construction and demolition activities and work-from-home provision for its staff till SundayAll the 10-point action plan measures apart from construction ban will continue for now Rai saidHe said 585 monitoring teams have been working to ensure compliance of directionsIf any agency is found violating dust control norms the government will stop work and impose a penalty without notice the environment minister warnedHe said the government has hired 1000 private CNG-operated buses to augment public transport These have Prayavaran Bus Sewa written on them and have the same facilities as the DTC onesHe also said up to 17 people can travel standing in a bus and 30 per coach in Delhi MetroThe drive to impound old petrol and diesel vehicles and pollution-under-control certificate checking will continue to tackle vehicle pollutionFour thousand people have been fined Rs 10000 each this month so far for violating pollution norms he saidStrong surface winds gusting up to 25 kilometers per hour barrelled through the capital on Monday dispersing pollutants and improving the air quality Delhis 24-hour average Air Quality Index stood at 311 down from 349 on SundayPTI GVS SRY