This year was the first time that the sale and limited use of firecrackers allowed in Delhi after they were banned in 2020 due to ill-effects on health and the environment.
Forecasting systems are meant to be used to impose action plans, like GRAP. CEEW study found GRAP-III & GRAP-IV last winter were based on observed AQI, rather than forecasted levels.
Minimum temperature dropped to 23°C with humidity levels recorded 100% at 8:30 am, remarked India Meteorological Department. AQI of Delhi stood at 63, in ‘satisfactory’ category.
Report tabled Tuesday points at glaring gaps in pollution monitoring & data collection by agencies, says govt doesn't even record critical pollutants like lead.
According to Commission for Air Quality Management, 2024 saw a record 209 days with AQI below 200, even though the index slipped to dangerously high levels in some months.
According to Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi's AQI was 224 at 8 am Tuesday, ranging between 254 and 214 in different parts of the national capital.
The overall Air Quality Index recorded in Delhi was 161, categorised as ‘moderate’ as of 8 am. However, a thin layer of smog engulfed the city with the winter having set in.
At 7 am, air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 382, according to Central Pollution Control Board. Meanwhile, trains' movement continues amid smog near New Delhi Railway Station.
From coastal Andhra Pradesh to Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab, from bonfires in UP to midnight pledges in Chennai and Lahore, Vande Mataram was a war cry to galvanise people toward azaadi.
With the US-India trade deal yet to get done, rupee depreciation may be helping to mitigate India’s loss of competitiveness. The other problem is extreme despondence among overseas equity investors.
Of the total package, $649 million will be utilised for additional hardware, software, and support services, and the remaining for Major Defence Equipment (MDE).
Don’t blame misfortune. This is colossal incompetence and insensitivity. So bad, heads would have rolled even in the old PSU-era Indian Airlines and Air India.
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