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NCR records cleanest winter air since 2018: Report

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) claimed that this winter has been the cleanest in National Capital Region (NCR) since large-scale air quality monitoring started in 2018. The CSE has carried out the assessment of annual and seasonal trends of particulate matter with with diameters 2.5 micrometer and smaller (PM2.5) for the period October 1 to January 31 in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. This analysis is based on the real time data available from current working air quality monitoring stations in the NCR. “A comprehensive analysis of PM 2.5 trends during this winter season, October 2022 to January 2023, in the NCR shows a ‘bending of the winter pollution curve and lowering of peak levels’”, the CSE report read. The analysis was conducted by the Urban Lab of the CSE, and has revealed a continuous drop in seasonal average levels of air pollution, although elevated levels prevailed at city stations. The city-wide winter average for Delhi stood at 160 microgram per cubic metre (µg/m³) in the October-January period this year, which is the lowest level recorded since wide-scale monitoring started in 2018-19. Notably, the PM2.5 level computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 CAAQMS stations located in the city was 17 per cent lower compared to the seasonal average of 2018-19 winter. Based on the subset of the 10 oldest stations, there is an improvement of almost 20 per cent. “This improvement is a combined effect of meteorology and emergency action based on pollution forecasting. There was heavy and extended rainfall in the early phases of the season that prevented smog episodes from building up and also lowered the seasonal average. This downward trend will have to be sustained with much stronger action on vehicles, industry, waste burning, construction, solid fuel and biomass burning to meet the clean air standard,” Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director (Research), CSE, said. The analysis showed that there were still 10 days of ‘severe’ and ‘severe-plus’ air quality and one four-day long smog episode during this winter, she added. “In the extended NCR, seasonal averages varied considerably among the cities and towns, but high pollution episodes were synchronised despite large distances. Delhi and the neighbouring cities of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Noida were relatively more polluted than other towns in the region,” Avikal Somvanshi, Senior Programme manager of the Urban Lab, CSE, said.

Delhi has cleanest winter in 5 years, but is most polluted city in NCR: Study

Delhi logged its cleanest winter season in five years with respect to PM2.5 particulates, an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has revealed. However, among cities in the National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi had the highest concentration of PM2.5 particulates, the study said, while Noida had the lowest. “The city-wide winter average for Delhi stood at 160 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) for the October-January period, which is the lowest level recorded since wide-scale monitoring started in 2018-19. The PM2.5 level, computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) located in the city, was 17% lower compared to the seasonal average of 2018-19 winter. Based on the subset of the 10 oldest stations in Delhi, there is an improvement of almost 20%,” the analysis said. In comparison, Delhi’s PM2.5 levels were 171 µg/m³in 2021-22, 186 µg/m³ in 2020-21, 173 µg/m³ in 2019-20 and 193 µg/m³ in 2018-19, the study said. However, this is still considerably higher than the 24-hour standard national ambient air quality standards of 60 µg/m³, or the annual standard of 40 µg/m³. The winter season is the most polluted time of the year, with unfavourable meteorological conditions trapping pollutants close to the surface, including calm winds, low temperature and fog. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE said this winter, the conditions were not as harsh, with Delhi also being aided by emergency-based action based on pollution forecasts.

Air pollution level in Delhi-NCR this winter was lowest for season since 2018: CSE

This winter saw the cleanest air in the Delhi-NCR region since large-scale monitoring started in 2018, according to the latest analysis of air pollution levels by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The concentration of air pollutants in Delhi stood at 160 micrograms per cubic meter for the October-January period, which is the lowest level recorded since wide-scale monitoring started in 2018-19, the leading think tank said in its report. The PM2.5 level, computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) stations located in the city was 17 per cent lower compared to the seasonal average of 2018-19 winter. Based on the subset of the 10 oldest stations, there is an improvement of almost 20 per cent," the CSE report said. It also said that the number of days with severe or severe-plus air quality was the lowest in the last five years. "This winter, around 10 days had a city-wide average in 'severe' or worse AQI category, which is much lower compared to 24 such days in the previous winter and 33 in the 2018-19 winter," the report said. According to CSE, the city also recorded five days of good air this year which is an improvement over the last winter which had recorded one "good" AQI day, whereas, earlier winters did not record any "good" air quality days.

Lower average PM2.5 level brings no respite as Delhi is most polluted city

The analysis noted that despite an improvement this winter, pollution levels remained high with the highest average PM2.5 level of 211 µg/m3 for the season recorded at the Nehru Nagar monitoring station. While the average PM2.5 level in Delhi this winter was the lowest from 2018-19 onwards and the city has seen a lower peak level of PM2.5 levels this winter, the national capital was still the most polluted city in the NCR, according to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The analysis attributed the improvement to “a combined effect of meteorology and emergency action based on pollution forecasting”. The average PM2.5 level in Delhi from October 1 to January 31 was 160 µg/m3, lower than the 193 µg/m3 recorded over the same period in 2018-19. Last winter, the city recorded a higher average of 171 µg/m3, while the winter of 2020-21 recorded an average of 186 µg/m3 and the average was 173 µg/m3 in the winter of 2019-20. Delhi’s average PM2.5 level this winter was found to be worse than Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad, and out of 27 NCR towns and cities, Delhi had the highest average PM2.5 level. The peak PM2.5 level this winter was found to be 401 µg/m3, around 26% lower than the highest recorded peak over the past four winters – 546 µg/m3 in 2019-20. The analysis noted that despite an improvement this winter, pollution levels remained high with the highest average PM2.5 level of 211 µg/m3 for the season recorded at the Nehru Nagar monitoring station. Among the pre-identified air pollution ‘hotspots’ in the city, the analysis said that hotspots located in North and East Delhi were the most polluted with Jahangirpuri being the most polluted neighbourhood with an average seasonal PM2.5 level of 201 µg/m3.

Winter air: Delhi's best in 5 years not good enough

NEW DELHI: Despite seeing the least toxic air in the past five years, Delhi was the most polluted major city in NCR with a winter average of 160 micrograms per cubic metre (g/m³), according to a recent analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Except R K Puram, all hotspots showed an improvement compared to the average pollution levels recorded over the previous three winters. Track the pollution level in your city "This improvement is a combined effect of meteorology and emergency action based on pollution forecasting. There was heavy and extended rainfall in the early phases of the season that prevented smog episodes from building up and also lowered the seasonal average," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE.She added, "Despite the decline, Delhi continues to remain the most polluted among the cities and towns of NCR. This downward trend will have to be sustained with much stronger action on vehicles, industry, waste burning, construction, solid fuel and biomass burning to meet the clean air standard." delhi pollution The CSE study revealed hotspots in north and east Delhi to be the most polluted. Jahangirpuri was the 'most polluted' official hotspot with an October-January average PM2.5 level of 201 micrograms per cubic metre. Other most polluted hotspots were Anand Vihar (196 g/m³), Wazirpur (185 g/m³), Mundka (185 g/m³), Rohini (182 g/m³) and Bawana (179 g/m³). Bahadurgarh with 105 g/m³, and Gurgaon and Faridabad each with 133 g/m³ were the least polluted hotspots. RK Puram registered a 1% increase during October-January levels this year than the average of the previous three winters. Wazirpur (5%), Narela (3%), Mayapuri (3%) and Faridabad (3%) registered improvements, but it was less than the improvement noted in Delhi's city-wide average. The PM2.5 level, computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 CAAQMS stations located in the city, was 17% lower compared to the seasonal average of 2018-19 winter. Based on the subset of the 10 oldest stations, there is an improvement of almost 20%. CSE researchers estimate that about 4.1 tonnes of PM2.5 fell over Delhi this winter in the form of smoke, which is 37% less than 6.4 tonnes last year and almost half of the 2020-21 winter figure. "The quantity of smoke from farm fires that falls over Delhi is dependent on two major factors: quantity and intensity of stubble fires, and meteorological conditions conducive for transportation of the smoke to the city. This winter, not only have the quantity and intensity of farm stubble fires been low, but the meteorological conditions have also been less conducive for the transport of the smoke," said the study. The study said the total count of farm stubble fires reported this year from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in October and November stood at 55,846, according to Nasa's VIIRS satellite, and 12,158, according to its MODIS satellite. These are respectively 36% and 40% lower than the figures for October-January in 2021-22.

This winter was the cleanest in Delhi-NCR since 2018, shows study

A study conducted at Centre for Science and Environment revealed that a comprehensive analysis of PM2.5 trends during the entire winter season (October 2022-January 2023) in Delhi-NCR shows a bending of the winter pollution curve and lowering of peak levels. A study conducted at the Centre for Science and Environment revealed that a comprehensive analysis of PM2.5 trends during the entire winter season (October 2022-January 2023) in Delhi-NCR shows a bending of the winter pollution curve and lowering of peak levels. The winter of 2022-2023 was the cleanest for Delhi-NCR since 2018, when large-scale air quality monitoring started, according to a new analysis by the New Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment. Delhi was the most polluted out of all five major NCR cities, CSE found. The analysis was conducted by the Urban Lab at CSE,and has revealed a continuous drop in seasonal average levels of air pollution, although elevated levels prevailed at city stations. This winter has been the cleanest in New Delhi-NCR since large-scale air quality monitoring started in 2018,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). A comprehensive analysis of PM2.5 trends during the entire winter season (October 2022-January 2023) in Delhi-NCR shows a “bending of the winter pollution curve and lowering of peak levels, reports CSE. “This improvement is a combined effect of meteorology and emergency action based on pollution forecasting. There was heavy and extended rainfall in the early phases of the season that prevented smog episodes from building up and also lowered the seasonal average. Despite the decline, Delhi continues to remain the most polluted among the cities and towns of NCR. This downward trend will have to be sustained with much stronger action on vehicles, industry, waste burning, construction, solid fuel and biomass burning to meet the clean air standard,” says Roy Chowdhury. “The analysis shows that there were still 10 days of severe and severe-plus air quality and one four-day long smog episode during this winter. In the larger NCR, seasonal averages varied considerably among the cities and towns, but high pollution episodes were synchronised despite large distances. Delhi and the neighboring cities of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Noida were relatively more polluted than other NCR towns, though not significantly. This is the challenge of this landlocked region that demands even stronger action,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE.

This Indian City is the Most Polluted in Asia And It’s Not Delhi | Details Here Story by Saurabh Verma • Yesterday 8:37 pm Comments Gandhinagar, Guwahati and Mumbai were among the top ten most polluted cities in Asia on Monday. Accordin

According to the latest data available on the World Air Quality Index (https://aqicn.org), pollution levels touched hazardous levels in GIFT City, Gandhinagar with an air quality index (AQI) of 724, the highest in the list at the time of filing of this report. Gandhinagar was followed by Pan Bazaar, Guwahati (665), Khindipada-Bhandup West, Mumbai (471) and Bhopal Chauraha, Dewas (315).

This Indian City is the Most Polluted in Asia And It’s Not Delhi

Gandhinagar, Guwahati and Mumbai were among the top ten most polluted cities in Asia on Monday. According to the latest data available on the World Air Quality Index (https://aqicn.org), pollution levels touched hazardous levels in GIFT City, Gandhinagar with an air quality index (AQI) of 724, the highest in the list at the time of filing of this report. Gandhinagar was followed by Pan Bazaar, Guwahati (665), Khindipada-Bhandup West, Mumbai (471) and Bhopal Chauraha, Dewas (315). The AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘Moderate, 101-150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 151-200 ‘Unhealthy, 201-300 ‘Very Unhealthy’ and 300+ ‘Hazardous’ as per the Air Quality Index scale defined by the US-EPA 2016 standard. Started in 2007, the World Air Quality Index project aims to promote air pollution awareness for citizens and provide unified and worldwide air quality information. Meanwhile, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), its latest analysis of air pollution levels, claimed this winter saw the cleanest air in the Delhi-NCR region since large-scale monitoring started in 2018.

राहत की सांस : 5 साल में 20% तक घटा दिल्ली-एनसीआर का प्रदूषण, CSE की रिपोर्ट में खुलासा

सीएसई की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक वर्ष 2018-19 की सर्दी की तुलना में 2022-23 के जाड़े में 17 से बीस फीसदी तक की कमी आई है। 2018-19 के जाड़े में दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का औसत स्तर 193 रहा था

Air Pollution: एशिया के 10 सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों में दिल्‍ली का नाम नहीं, टॉप पर ये भारतीय शहर

नई दिल्‍ली. अपनी खराब आबोहवा के लिए अक्सर सुर्खियों में रहने वाली दिल्‍ली (New Delhi) इस बार एशिया के टॉप 10 सबसे प्रदूषित (Air Pollution) शहरों की सूची में शामिल नहीं हुई. विश्व वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (Air Pollution AQI Level) के आधार पर सोमवार को उपलब्ध आंकड़ों में चीन से 5, मंगोलिया से 1 और अन्‍य चार शहर भारत से थे. नवीनतम आंकड़ों में गुजरात की राजधानी गांधीनगर (Gandhi nagar) में वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (AQI) 724 के साथ प्रदूषण खतरनाक स्तर तक मापा गया, जो सूची में सबसे अधिक है. इस रिपोर्ट को दाखिल करते समय, गांधीनगर के बाद पान बाजार, गुवाहाटी (665), खिंडीपाड़ा-भांडुप पश्चिम, मुंबई (471) और भोपाल चौराहा, देवास (315) का स्थान रहा. रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि इस सर्दी में दिल्‍ली-एनसीआर में हवा, पहले की अपेक्षा बेहतर हुई है और 2018 के बाद इस बार सबसे साफ हवा देखी गई. यूएस-ईपीए 2016 मानक द्वारा परिभाषित इंडेक्स स्केल के अनुसार 0 और 50 के बीच AQI को ‘अच्छा’, 51-100 ‘मध्यम, 101-150 संवेदनशील समूहों के लिए अस्वास्थ्यकर, 151-200’ अस्वस्थ, 201-300 ‘बहुत अस्वस्थ’ और 300+ ‘खतरनाक’ माना जाता है.

सर्दियों में सुधरी दिल्ली की हवा, पांच साल में सबसे कम रहा प्रदूषण

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड इनवायरन्मेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा किये गये वायु प्रदूषण के एक हालिया विश्लेषण के अनुसार, 2018 में बड़े पैमाने पर हवा की गुणवत्ता की निगरानी शुरू किये जाने के बाद से इस बार सर्दियों के मौसम में दिल्ली-एनसीआर क्षेत्र में सर्वाधिक स्वच्छ वायु रही। प्रमुख थिंक टैंक ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में कहा कि दिल्ली में वायु प्रदूषकों का सकेंद्रण अक्टूबर-जनवरी अवधि के दौरान 160 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर रहा, जो 2018-19 में व्यापक स्तर पर निगरानी शुरू किये जाने के बाद से न्यूनतम स्तर है। सीएसई की रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है, ‘‘पीएम2.5(हवा में मौजूद 2.5 माइक्रोमीटर से कम व्यास के कण) के स्तर की गणना, शहर में मौजूद 36 वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी केंद्रों के डेटा का औसत निकाल कर की गई, जो 2018-19 के सर्दियों के मौसमी औसत की तुलना में 17 प्रतिशत कम है। दस सबसे पुराने केंद्रों के आंकड़ों के आधार पर स्थिति 20 प्रतिशत बेहतर हुई है।'' रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, ‘‘इस बार सर्दियों में, करीब 10 दिन शहर भर में एक्यूआई (वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक) गंभीर या बहुत खराब श्रेणी में रहा, जो पिछले साल की सर्दियों के 24 दिनों और 2018-19 की सर्दियों के 33 दिनों की तुलना में बहुत कम है।'' सीएसई ने कहा है कि शहर में अच्छी वायु के पांच दिन भी दर्ज किये गये, जो पिछली सर्दियों की तुलना में बेहतर स्थिति है।

पिछले 5 वर्षों में सबसे साफ हवा वाली रही इस बार की सर्दी, फिर भी दिल्ली- NCR क्यों रहा सबसे प्रदूषित शहर?

Delhi Pollution: दिल्ली में प्रदूषण को रोकने क लिए land lock होना सबसे बड़ी समस्या है. दिल्ली में clean fuel को बढ़ावा दिए जाने की जरूरत है. Electric cars की संख्या बढ़ाने की जरूरत है. इसी के साथ कूड़े का निपटारा भी बेहतर तरीके से किए जाने की जरूरत है. प्रदूषण के मामले में 2022 की सर्दी दिल्ली वालों के लिए थोड़ी सी राहत लेकर आई है. 2018 के बाद 5 साल में पहली बार प्रदूषण अपने सबसे न्यूनतम स्तर पर रहा. उसके बावजूद पूरे NCR रीजन में सबसे प्रदूषित शहर के मामले में दिल्ली ने ही बाजी मारी. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट यानी CSE के सालाना आकलन के मुताबिक इस साल अक्टूबर से जनवरी तक के सर्दी के सीजन में मौसम की मेहरबानी और प्रदूषण के स्तर का सही आकलन करके जो कदम उठाए गए, इन दोनों की वजह से प्रदूषण का स्तर काबू में रहा. CSE की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, सर्दियां शुरू होते ही बारिश हो गई, जिसकी वजह से घना कोहरा नहीं हो पाया. इस साल लगातार 10 दिन ऐसे रहे. जब प्रदूषण के लिहाज से हवा सीरियस (severe) यानी अति गंभीर की श्रेणी में रही. इसके अलावा एक साथ चार दिन घने कोहरे वाले भी रहे. पूरे NCR रीजन में दिल्ली के अलावा फरीदाबाद गुरुग्राम और नोएडा में थी. प्रदूषण के हालात काफी खराब है जबकि NCR के बाकी शहर में हालात इस बार बेहतर रहे. दिल्ली NCR के सबसे प्रदूषित Hot spot Jahangirpuri- PM2.5 level of 201 µg/m³. Anand Vihar- (196 µg/m³) Wazirpur- (185 µg/m³) Mundka- (185µg/m³) Rohini- (182 µg/m³) and Bawana- (179 µg/m³) Bahadurgarh- 105 µg/m³, Gurugram/Faridabad 133 µg/m³ पराली ने इस साल भी दिल्ली का दम घोंटा इस बार फरहा हीरोइन की घटनाएं पराली जलाने की घटनाएं 55846 रही, जिसकी वजह से दिल्ली में करीब 53 दिनों तक पराली के धुएं का असर रहा, पिछले वर्षों के मुकाबले यह भी कम है. हालांकि पराली के धुएं की वजह से दिल्ली में अक्टूबर से दिसंबर तक 4 टन धुआं गिरा है. यह एनालिसिस पीएम 2.5 के स्तर के आधार पर किया गया. Pm 2.5 इस साल 2018 के मुकाबले 17% कम खतरनाक रहा. इस बार पीएम 2.5 का औसत 160 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति क्यूबिक मीटर था.

Despite low air pollution levels this winter, Delhi the most polluted of five major cities in NCR: CSE

“This winter has been the cleanest in New Delhi-NCR since large-scale air quality monitoring started in 2018,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while releasing here today CSE’s latest analysis of winter air pollution levels. A comprehensive analysis of PM2.5 trends during the entire winter season (October 2022-January 2023) in Delhi-NCR shows a “bending of the winter pollution curve and lowering of peak levels”, reports CSE. The analysis was conducted by the Urban Lab at CSE, and has revealed a continuous drop in seasonal average levels of air pollution, although elevated levels prevailed at city stations. “This improvement is a combined effect of meteorology and emergency action based on pollution forecasting. There was heavy and extended rainfall in the early phases of the season that prevented smog episodes from building up and also lowered the seasonal average. Despite the decline, Delhi continues to remain the most polluted among the cities and towns of NCR. This downward trend will have to be sustained with much stronger action on vehicles, industry, waste burning, construction, solid fuel and biomass burning to meet the clean air standard,” says Roychowdhury. The analysis shows that there were still 10 days of severe and severe-plus air quality and one four-day long smog episode during this winter. In the larger NCR, seasonal averages varied considerably among the cities and towns, but high pollution episodes were synchronised despite large distances. Delhi and the neighboring cities of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Noida were relatively more polluted than other NCR towns, though not significantly. This is the challenge of this landlocked region that demands even stronger action,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. The methodology This is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period October 1 to January 31 for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. This analysis is based on the real time data available from current working air quality monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR. Meteorological data for the analysis is sourced from the Palam weather station of India Meteorological Department (IMD). Fire count data is sourced from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System, specifically the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). Estimates of contribution of farm stubble fire smoke to Delhi’s air quality is sourced from the Ministry of Earth Science’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). Key highlights Delhi This winter was the least polluted in last five years: The city-wide winter average for Delhi stood at 160 microgramme per cubic metre (µg/m³) for the October-January period, which is the lowest level recorded since wide-scale monitoring started in 2018-19. The PM2.5 level, computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 CAAQMS stations located in the city, was 17 per cent lower compared to the seasonal average of 2018-19 winter. Based on the subset of the 10 oldest stations, there is an improvement of almost 20 per cent. Peak pollution level down, but air still toxic: Like the city-wide winter average for Delhi, the winter peak pollution level was found to be the lowest recorded since wide-scale monitoring started in 2018-19. The city-wide peak this year stood at 401 µg/m³ which was recorded on November 3, 2022. Peak PM2.5 24-hour value, computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 CAAQMS stations located in the city, was 26 per cent lower compared to the highest recorded winter peak (546 µg/m³ in 2019-20 winter). Worst station level peak was 25 per cent lower compared to the highest recorded station level winter peak (806 µg/m³ in 2018-19 winter). Only one smog episode this winter: As is the global practice, at least three continuous days of severe AQI is considered a smog episode. In previous winters, such episodes have been recorded as lasting over six-10 days. This winter, only one smog episode was recorded from January 6-9, 2023. Average daily intensity of this smog stood at 287 µg/m³. This winter was first in last five years when both Diwali and late December (around Christmas) did not experience a smog episode. Number of days with severe or severe-plus air quality lowest in last five years: This winter, 10 days had city-wide average in “severe” or worse AQI category, which is much lower compared to 24 such days in the previous winter and 33 in 2018-19 winter. The city also recorded five days of good air this year which is an improvement over the previous winter which had recorded one “good” AQI day. Earlier winters did not record any good air quality days. This winter’s “good” AQI days coincided with heavy rainfall days in October. Variation in pollution levels among city’s stations remain significant: This winter, 32 out of 36 CAAQMS stations saw improvement in their seasonal averages over the average of the last three years. The maximum improvement was noted at DTU and IHBAS which registered 41 per cent and 24 per cent lower seasonal average this winter compared to the mean of pervious three winters, respectively. Shadipur (34 per cent), NSIT Dwarka (24 per cent), National Stadium (1 per cent) and RK Puram (1 per cent) were the stations that registered an increase in seasonal PM2.5 level compared to previous winters. major city in NCR. Faridabad and Gurugram both registered 133 µg/m3 while Ghaziabad did marginally better with a winter average of 132 µg/m3. Noida was the least polluted major city with a winter average of 124 µg/m3. Among the five big NCR cities, Ghaziabad registered the highest improvement in its winter PM2.5 level with a reduction of 23 per cent compared to the previous winter average. Noida (17 per cent), Faridabad (12 per cent) and Gurugram (6 per cent) also registered improvements in air quality, but it worsened for Greater Noida (-3 per cent). Big cities of NCR continue to be the most polluted with highest seasonal average and peak pollution levels, but smaller towns not far behind: Delhi was the most polluted city in NCR followed by Greater Noida this winter. But Dharuhera and Baghpat, much smaller towns, were next on this worst polluted list, placed above the much larger cities of Faridabad, Gurugram and Ghaziabad. Mandikhera and Palwal were the least polluted towns in the NCR with their winter average settling below 40 µg/m³. Likewise, Delhi registered the highest peak city-wide pollution with a 24-hour average at 401 µg/m³ followed by Gurugram at 385 µg/m³ and Baghpat at 368 µg/m³. Palwal’s peak of 78 µg/m³ was the lowest in NCR. Only four out of 25 NCR towns show a detoriation in their winter averages from the mean of previous three winters. Air quality detoriated most in Dharuhera in Haryana by 10 per cent with a winter average of 139 µg/m³. It was followed by Alwar in Rajasthan and Sonipat in Haryana that registered 8 per cent and 4 per cent declines in winter air quality respectively, compared to the average of previous three winters. Mandikhera (-70 per cent), Panipat (-60 per cent) and Palwal (-55 per cent) in Haryana registered the most improvement. Early winter smog synchronised across the region — more severe in Delhi and the big four: Normally, the smog episodes of November are synchronised across the northern region. But it is more intense and lingers longer in Delhi and its immediate neighboring cities. During winter, atmospheric changes such as inversion, change in wind direction, and seasonal drop in ambient temperatures across North India entraps pollution. Additionally, smoke from farm fires and Diwali firecrackers in November makes the situation worse. While the air quality in cities further away from Delhi improves from severe to poor and moderate categories, Delhi and the big four cities continue to have very poor air quality through the end of January. Though on a declining trend, Delhi still had the highest number of days in severe or worse air quality categories among the major NCR cities: Although the overall number of days with severe or very poor air quality decreased and stabilised this winter, Delhi still recorded more days with the most severe air quality compared to other major cities in NCR during the 2022-23 winter. Delhi had 10 days with severe or worse air quality, followed by Greater Noida with six days. Noida and Gurugram each had three days, and Faridabad and Ghaziabad each had one day of severe or worse air quality. Despite the large differences in the number of highly polluted days between the cities, the number of days with good air quality was almost the same across the region. These two-six days with good air quality coincided with heavy rainfall and were not the result of on-ground pollution control measures. The way forward Winter pollution is the litmus test of clean air action in the region. The only way to prevent the high peaks and smog episodes during winter is to ensure sustained improvement in air quality to meet the national ambient air quality standard across the region. This requires region-wide implemenation of: Clean fuels and emissions control systems in industry Massive electrification of the vehicle fleet Scaling up of integrated public transport options with vehicle restraint measures like parking restraints Waste mangement based on 100 per cent segregation, material recovery and zero landfill policy Clean construction and recycling of C&D waste Replacement of solid fuels in households Urban greening and dust control.

Weather update delhi ncr weather forecastNews WAALI

in the country’s capital, Delhi Weather on Holi He will get support According to the department, the maximum temperature of the day in Delhi can be between 32 and 33 degrees, while the minimum temperature is likely to be between 14 and 16 degrees. However, there may be a slight change in the weather due to the active Western Disturbance. Also made by the Center for Science and the Environment (CSE) air pollution According to a recent analysis by the World Health Organization, since large-scale air quality monitoring began in 2018, this time in the winter season Delhi-NCR The cleanest air in the region.

Delhi Witnessed Lowest Air Pollution this Winter, says CSE Report

In some good news for residents of Delhi who have been battling poor air quality, the level of air pollution was recorded lower this winter. In fact, winter in Delhi was the least polluted in the past five years, says a latest research report. According to an analysis of winter air pollution levels by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based non-profit organisation, the city-wide winter average for Delhi stood at 160 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³) for the October-January period, which is the lowest level recorded since wide-scale monitoring started in 2018-19. The PM2.5 level, computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 CAAQMS stations located in the city, was 17% lower compared to the seasonal average of the 2018-19 winter. Based on the subset of the 10 oldest stations, there is an improvement of almost 20%. "This winter has been the cleanest in New Delhi-NCR since large-scale air quality monitoring started in 2018,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, at CSE, in a release. Roychowdhury pointed out that a comprehensive analysis of PM2.5 trends during the entire winter season (October 2022-January 2023) in Delhi-NCR shows a “bending of the winter pollution curve and lowering of peak levels.” “This improvement is a combined effect of meteorology and emergency action based on pollution forecasting. There was heavy and extended rainfall in the early phases of the season that prevented smog episodes from building up and also lowered the seasonal average. Despite the decline, Delhi continues to remain the most polluted among the cities and towns of NCR (National Capital Region). This downward trend will have to be sustained with much stronger action on vehicles, industry, waste burning, construction, solid fuel and biomass burning to meet the clean air standard,” says Roychowdhury. The analysis shows that there were still 10 days of severe and severe-plus air quality and one four-day-long smog episode during this winter. In the larger NCR, seasonal averages varied considerably among the cities and towns, but high pollution episodes were synchronised despite large distances. Delhi and the neighbouring cities of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Noida were relatively more polluted than other NCR towns, though not significantly. This is the challenge of this landlocked region that demands even stronger action,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, at Urban Lab, CSE. This winter, 10 days had a city-wide average in the “severe” or worse AQI category, which is much lower compared to 24 such days in the previous winter and 33 in the 2018-19 winter. “This winter, only one smog episode was recorded from January 6-9, 2023. The average daily intensity of this smog stood at 287 µg/m³. This winter was the first in the last five years when both Diwali and late December (around Christmas) did not experience a smog episode. However, the report further said that like the city-wide winter average for Delhi, the winter peak pollution level was found to be the lowest recorded since wide-scale monitoring started in 2018-19. The city-wide peak this year stood at 401 µg/m³ which was recorded on November 3, 2022. The peak PM2.5 24-hour value, computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 CAAQMS stations located in the city, was 26% lower compared to the highest recorded winter peak (546 µg/m³ in 2019-20 winter). The worst station level peak was 25% lower compared with the highest recorded station level winter peak (806 µg/m³ in the 2018-19 winter). The total count of farm stubble fires reported this year from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in October and November stood at 55,846, according to NASA’s VIIRS satellite and 12,158, according to its MODIS satellite. These are 36% and 40% lower than the figures for October-January in 2021-22. If the FRP (fire radiative power which is the measure of the intensity of fire) is taken into account in addition to the number of fires, it becomes clear that not only were the fires lesser in the count but also lower in intensity compared to the previous two years. The total FRP this October-January has been 373 kW and 199 kW, according to VIIRS and MODIS respectively. This is 43% and 49% lower than last year’s values, respectively. As per the CSE report, “fires have been lower this October-January both in count and intensity compared to previous two seasons, but are marginally higher compared to 2019-20 season. Therefore, it can be argued that the spike seen in the fires since the pandemic started has ended and the situation has reverted to a pre-pandemic scenario. This is a relatively better scenario, but we are still far from attaining our clean air objectives.” Similarly, this year, smoke from farm stubble fires contributed to PM2.5 levels in Delhi for 53 days, starting October 12 and ending on December 3, 2022. This is lesser than in the previous three years when the smoke intrusion was reported on 56 days, but it is higher than the 2018-19 winter figure of 48 days. The highest contribution this year was 34%, reported on November 3, 2022. But given the overall low PM2.5 levels this year, 34% contribution accounts for much less in terms of actual PM2.5 concentration in Delhi’s air. Therefore, it is critical to look also at the absolute mass of PM2.5 that got transported to the city from the fires. But the CSE report said that in terms of absolute concentration, Delhi was the most polluted major city in NCR with a winter average of 160 µg/m3. Greater Noida with 143 µg/m3 was the next most polluted major city in NCR. Faridabad and Gurugram both registered 133 µg/m3 while Ghaziabad did marginally better with a winter average of 132 µg/m3. Noida was the least polluted major city with a winter average of 124 µg/m3. Among the five big NCR cities, Ghaziabad registered the highest improvement in its winter PM2.5 level with a reduction of 23 per cent compared to the previous winter average. Noida (17%), Faridabad (12%) and Gurugram (6%) also registered improvements in air quality, but it worsened for Greater Noida (-3%).

Air pollution level in Delhi-NCR this winter was lowest for season since 2018: CSE

This winter saw the cleanest air in the Delhi-NCR region since large-scale monitoring started in 2018, according to the latest analysis of air pollution levels by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The concentration of air pollutants in Delhi stood at 160 micrograms per cubic meter for the October-January period, which is the lowest level recorded since wide-scale monitoring started in 2018-19, the leading think tank said in its report. “The PM2.5 level, computed by averaging monitoring data from 36 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) stations located in the city was 17 percent lower compared to the seasonal average of 2018-19 winter. Based on the subset of the 10 oldest stations, there is an improvement of almost 20 percent,” the CSE report said. It also said that the number of days with severe or severe-plus air quality was the lowest in the last five years. “This winter, around 10 days had a city-wide average in ‘severe’ or worse AQI category, which is much lower compared to 24 such days in the previous winter and 33 in the 2018-19 winter,” the report said. According to CSE, the city also recorded five days of good air this year which is an improvement over the last winter which had recorded one “good” AQI day, whereas, earlier winters did not record any “good” air quality days. ALSO READNikki Yadav murder case: Delhi court extends Sahil Gehlot’s judicial custody Farm stubble fires this winter were about half of the last winter as the total count of stubble fires reported this year from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in October and November stood at 55,846 (according to NASA’s VIIRS satellite) and 12,158 (according to MODIS satellite) respectively. “These are respectively 36 per cent and 40 per cent lower than the figures for October-January in 2021-22. If the FRP (fire radiative power which is the measure of the intensity of fire) is taken into account in addition to the number of fires, it becomes clear that not only were the fires lesser in count, but also lower in intensity compared to the previous two years,” the CSE report said. It also said that fires have been lower between October 2022 and January 2023, both in count and intensity, compared to the previous two seasons, but are marginally higher compared to the 2019-20 season. “The spike seen in the fires since the beginning of the pandemic has ended and the situation has reverted to a pre-pandemic scenario. This is a relatively better scenario, but we are still far from attaining our clean air objectives,” the report said. The quantity of smoke from farm stubble fires affecting Delhi is dependent upon two major factors – quantity and intensity of farm stubble fires and meteorological conditions conducive for transportation of the smoke to Delhi. This winter, not only the quantity and intensity of farm stubble fires have been low, but also the meteorological conditions have been less conducive for the transport of the smoke and as a result, the total smoke that fell upon Delhi in the form of PM2.5 has been considerably less. The CSE estimates that about 4.1 tonnes of PM2.5 affected Delhi this winter in the form of smoke, which is 37 per cent less than the 6.4 tonnes last year and almost half of the 2020-21 winter figure. However, the report also mentioned that even though there has been a significant decline in peak pollution levels, air in NCR continues to remain toxic. “In comparison to the other NCR cities, Delhi was the most polluted city followed by Greater Noida this winter. “Among the five big NCR cities, Ghaziabad registered the highest improvement in its winter PM2.5 level with a reduction of 23 per cent compared to the previous winter average. Noida (17 per cent), Faridabad (12 per cent) and Gurugram (6 per cent) also registered improvements in air quality, but it worsened for Greater Noida (-3 per cent),” the CSE analysis report said. About the way forward, the CSE said clean fuels and emissions control systems are needed in the industries. It also said that massive electrification of the vehicle fleet and scaling up of integrated public transport options with vehicle restraint measures are also needed. “The only way to prevent the high peaks and smog episodes during winter is to ensure sustained improvement in air quality to meet the national ambient air quality standard across the region. “This requires region-wide implementation of urban greening and dust control, waste management based on 100 per cent segregation, material recovery and zero landfill policy,” the report said. Clean construction and recycling of construction and demolition waste, and replacement of solid fuels in households are some other measures that the CSE suggested to prevent the high peaks of pollution in NCR.