-Financial Express There is an irony being played out in Delhi. While the national capital is reeling under one of its worst spells of air pollution, the Delhi government is bringing out a series of advertisements claiming that the pollution levels are down by 25%. The advertisements mention that the levels of PM 2.5—Particulate Matter of size less than 2.5 microns—have reduced from 154 microgrammes per cubic meter (µg/m3) during 2012-2014 to...

-Hindustan Times Beijing’s four-tier emergency response plan kicks in based on air quality index (AQI) forecasts and not actual recorded concentrations. Delhi’s deadly air pollution has exposed the lack of preparedness in NCR states to implement the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). It has also shown that many interventions under GRAP should have kicked in much earlier based on forecasts rather than when Particulate Matter concentrations were already peaking. Beijing’s four-tier emergency response...

  Air quality in North India in general and Delhi National Capital Region (Delhi NCR) in particular plunged to its lowest point in recent years during October-November thanks to a variety of factors. Through media reports one comes to know that stubble burning (also called paddy straw burning/ crop residue burning) is chiefly responsible for the public health crisis in India's capital and its nearby regions. Data accessed from the website...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Sulphur dioxide (SO2), a significant contributor to air pollution, may be within the national ambient air quality standard in all major cities in India, but the country is the largest cumulative emitter of this pollutant in the world and thus prone to being a victim of a cocktail of several toxic air pollutants. As a reactive pollutant, SO2 reacts with other air pollutants to form sulphate...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Central Pollution Control Board has sent a showcause notice to National Highways Authority of India for flouting construction and demolition waste management rules at two sites — Delhi-Meerut Expressway, UP Gate to Dasna, Ghaziabad, and around the Ghazipur landfill. NHAI has been asked to explain “why the project activities, including all civil works and construction and demolition activities, should not be stopped at (the) above site”...