The SC criticized bureaucracy for having developed a 'don't take any step' attitude for dealing with any situation.
"They do not want to take any decision. They want courts to pass orders and they are happy to implement. It is unfortunate that bureaucracy has come to this pass," the apex court said while slamming opinions floated on TV debates without familiarising with the situation on ground.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant, after hearing submissions of counsel of the Delhi government and Central government, said it needs clear answers on steps to curb air pollution in the capital, which has become a yearly phenomenon for the past several years.
The Supreme Court has asked both the governments to implement 'in letter and spirit' the decisions reached during Tuesday's emergency meeting
"People sitting in 5-star and 7-star facilities in Delhi keep accusing the farmers (contribute four per cent and 30 or 40 per cent to pollution). If you have a scientific alternative (a resolution)...let us look at it, rather than blaming farmers...", said Justice Kant.
The Chief Justice pointed out that according to an IIT Kanpur study stubble burning and firecrackers are not main contributors for pollution.
The bench emphasized that somebody has to take responsibility and everything cannot be done through judicial order. It pointed out that firecrackers were burnt in Delhi despite a ban.
It further noted that according to the government report vehicles are the main cause, but gas guzzlers, hi-fi cars run on Delhi roads, and also questioned the implementation of policy of removal of 10-15-year-old vehicles from the Delhi roads. "Who will encourage them to stop this? Delhi says no point in banning vehicles or introducing WFH (work-from-home) if not implemented in neighbouring states..We thought the commission ( air quality management commission) will give us steps to stop this," noted the bench.
The bench also pointed out that debates on TV are creating more pollution and added that they don't understand the issue and statements are taken out of context. The bench noted, "Everyone has their own agenda..."
The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, that they don't need to call all 100 officers in the office, instead call 50 officers. The bench said: "There are several government localities (in the vicinity of government offices), can't they travel in public transport?"
The top court asked the Centre and state governments to implement letter and spirit the decisions taken in the emergency meeting held on Tuesday to curb air pollution in Delhi.
The top court has scheduled the matter for further hearing next Wednesday.
These would be applicable with immediate effect.
The directives, however, do not include lockdown as suggested by the Supreme Court while hearing a case filed by a minor Delhi resident, who has claimed that the severe air pollution is causing health hazards for him and other children.
The Commission for Air Quality Management for Delhi and Surrounding Areas (CAQM), an agency under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), on Tuesday held an emergency meeting wherein it was decided to shut down all industries that are running on non-gas fuels for all NCR states; no entry of trucks in Delhi till November 21, except those carrying essential goods; no diesel or petrol vehicles more than 15 years to run on Delhi roads and no plying of visibly polluting vehicles with stricter checks about PUC certificate.
It also included deploying adequate number of buses/public transport; deploying anti-smog guns, water sprinklers and augmentation of dust suppressants thrice a day; penalty on persons/organisations stacking construction and demolition waste on roads, roadsides and a total ban on DG sets as per GRAP (graded response action plan, already in place since a month), the meeting decided.
Earlier, hearing the petition on Monday, the Supreme Court had reprimanded the Centre and the states, especially Delhi government, for their failure to reign in air pollution that had reached hazardous levels last week and is currently hovering on 'severe' and avery poor' level.
Every year around Diwali time and coinciding with the kharif crop harvesting in northwest India, air pollution levels peak sky high. Amongst the many reasons, burning of stubble/parali by farmers in the region and the meteorological factors add to the existing air pollution that is prevalent almost round the year.
The apex court had also asked the states to meet and decide about the emergency measures. It was then the Supreme Court had suggested a lockdown for containing emissions/air pollution.
Delhi government had even shown willingness for it but said it will wait for the court or the Centre to decide.
On Tuesday, the meeting invited Chief Secretaries/Principal Secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan; Secretaries to Government of India in the Ministries of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Power, Department of Personnel & Training, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for a holistic discussion, present their views and suggestions and work out emergency measures, as per the minutes of the meeting.
Before the states presented their viewpoints and presented the status of pollution in their areas, including readiness for measures to be taken for stricter actions, India Meteorological Department's senior scientist V.K. Soni gave a perspective of the air quality, wind velocity, mixing depths, directions etc..
The air quality in the Delhi-NCR is likely to remain 'severe' on Tuesday night, improving to 'very poor' on Wednesday and Thursday. It would remain so till November 21 and improve thereafter. PM2.5 would be the predominant pollutant, he said.
The Commission has asked for a compliance report from the officials concerned before November 22.
"Starting Monday, physical classes in schools would be shut for a week. Virtual classes would continue for the students in the meantime. This measure would particularly protect the children from inhaling toxic air," Kejriwal said after holding an emergency meeting on Saturday evening over the deteriorating state of the national capital's air quality which is reeling under the 'severe' category.
He said that a suggestion had come up during the court hearing on whether Delhi can move into a complete lockdown to tackle the pollution situation.
"We are working on the suggestion and taking into account all the aspects of such a step. We are not imposing a lockdown at this moment, as assessing the impact first is paramount," he said.
"We are drafting a proposal in this prospect and will place it in front of the court in the next hearing. This will be the most extreme step if at all it is taken, so all agencies concerned with the matter will be consulted at length first.
"The Centre, along with the CPCB and SAFAR, will be taken into confidence prior to such a decision. If a lockdown like situation comes into place, then all the vehicular, industrial and construction activity may be shut. This is still in the proposal stage and would be placed in front of the court first," he added.
Meanwhile, it has been decided to put construction activities on hold for three days -- from November 14-17.
"Winds are not really being expected during the said period, and we all know that stubble burning pollution would in any case penetrate into Delhi, creating a fatal situation. Thus, we have taken the hard step of having to pull the plug on construction activities for now," the Chief Minister said.
"All the government offices will function in a work from home manner for a week. All the government offices will be shut... but it is not a holiday. The entire workforce will continue to work remotely for this week.
"The officers will have to be available in the situation of an emergency call. An advisory on similar lines would be issued for the private offices to work from home as much as they can," Kejriwal said.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Environment Minister Gopal Rai, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot along with Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev and other officials.
The top court emphasised that the air pollution issue should be looked into "beyond politics and governments".
At the outset, a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, that the "situation is very bad... In the house we are wearing masks. It is a bad situation".
"How to control air pollution in Delhi, two days lockdown, if need be, or what. How will people live in Delhi?" queried the Chief Justice.
He emphasised that the government should look at steps to bring down the AQI from 500 to 200, and then further improve it.
Mehta began the argument by detailing steps taken by the air quality management commission to abate air pollution in NCR and adjoining areas, which included steps taken to address agricultural stubble burning.
The bench, also comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant said instead of blaming the farmers, all state governments and the Centre should come together to address the issue.
The Chief Justice noted that stubble burning by farmers is only responsible for 25 per cent of the pollution, and the remaining 75 per cent was from firecracker burning, vehicles and dust.
The Chief Justice asked Mehta: "Where is the effective mechanism to control firecrackers, vehicular pollution? Look at the pollution level," to which the latter said that both the Centre and state governments are working together to address the issue.
The Chief Justice added: "We have nothing to do, governments need burning solutions, how to control. Need two to three days short term plans to control pollution."
Mehta clarified that he is not saying that only farmers are responsible for the severe air pollution which has engulfed Delhi-NCR.
Justice Chandrachud pointed out that the Delhi government has opened schools and cited the AIIMS Director's remark that it is a triple whammy - pollution, Covid, and dengue.
"Their lungs are exposed," he told Mehta, adding: "Look into the issue beyond politics and government."
Mehta replied that he never said farmers were responsible for pollution and there are other factors too.
The Chief Justice told Mehta that he started his presentation with issues associated with stubble burning, which led to the response.
The top court told the Centre and the Delhi government to inform it on Monday the decisions taken to take emergency steps to address severe air pollution in the capital.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice asked Mehta not to misconstrue his remarks on the stubble burning issue.
"I learnt English in Class 8, I may not have been the best in English," said the Chief Justice.
Mehta said he shares a similarity with the CJI, adding: "I studied in Gujarati till class 8."
The apex court was hearing a plea by a minor boy seeking directions against stubble burning and other factors associated with the high pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.
He alleged that the BJP made people burst firecrackers on Diwali on Thursday.
Rai said Delhi's base pollution has remained the same. Only two factors have been added firecrackers and stubble burning.
"A large number of people did not burst firecrackers. I thank them all. But some people burst firecrackers on purpose. The BJP made them do it," he told reporters here.
The minister said the number of farm fires has risen to 3,500 and its impact is visible in Delhi.
According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecast agency SAFAR, stubble burning accounted for 36 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 on Friday, the highest so far this season.
"The overall air quality of Delhi plunged to the upper end of the severe category with additional firework emissions... The share of stubble emissions has peaked today at 36 per cent," said Gufran Beig, the founder project director of SAFAR.
On Thursday, farm fires accounted for 25 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution.
Last year, the share of stubble burning in Delhi's pollution had peaked at 42 per cent on November 5. In 2019, crop residue burning accounted for 44 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on November 1.
The contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's PM2.5 concentration was 32 per cent on Diwali last year as compared to 19 per cent in 2019.
A thick layer of acrid smog engulfed the Delhi-NCR region on Friday following the rampant bursting of firecrackers on Diwali night amid a rapid increase in fumes from stubble burning.
Ahead of the festive season, the Delhi government had announced a complete ban on firecrackers till January 1, 2022. It ran an aggressive campaign against the sale and use of firecrackers.
Delhi's air quality index (AQI), which entered the 'severe' category last night, continued its upward trend and stood at 462 at 12 pm on Friday.
The neighbouring cities of Faridabad (460), Greater Noida (423), Ghaziabad (450), Gurugram (478) and Noida (466) also recorded 'severe' air quality at 12 pm.
An 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 'severe'.
A 20-meter-tall structure was set up at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place in order to combat rising air pollution in Delhi.
The smog tower is a structure designed to work as a large-scale air purifier in order to reduce air pollution particles. It is an essential equipment for Delhi, which is one of the most polluted cities across the country and the world and has seen a major fall in its air quality for the past few years.
Inaugurating the project, Kejriwal said, "We have installed India's first smog tower in Delhi today. It can help clean the air within one-kilometre range. It has been installed on an experimental basis and data from it will be analysed by IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay,"
He said that the smog tower will help purify 1,000 cubic meters of air per second. A control room has been set up at the site to monitor the operation of smog tower.
The Delhi government plans to add more smog towers after studying the impact this one makes on pollution. During the inauguration, Delhi's environment minister Gopal Rai said the AAP government will form a team of experts for the study which is expected to last two years.
"Smog tower is designed to work as large-scale air purifiers, which is fitted with multiple layers of air filters and fans at the base to suck the air. After the polluted air enters the smog tower, it is purified by the multiple layers before being re-circulated into the atmosphere," said an official in Delhi's environment department.
Another such tower has been constructed at Anand Vihar, one of the pollution hotspots in the national capital. The 25-metre-tall tower is expected to become operational by the end of August, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
These towers have been built by Tata Projects Limited (TPL), with technical assistance from IIT Bombay and in collaboration with IIT Delhi.
Following high pollution levels in the national capital, the Supreme Court had in November 2019 asked the Centre and the Delhi government to come up with a road map on installing smog towers in the national capital region (NCR) to combat air pollution.
The smog towers are being installed on the lines of China, which has experimented with this technology in its capital Beijing and other cities.
Delhi was the most polluted capital city in the world in 2020 for the third consecutive year, according to a report by a Swiss group (released in March this year) that ranked cities based on their air quality measured in terms of the levels of ultrafine particulate matter (PM 2.5) that can enter the organs and cause lasting damage.
The Air Qaulity Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded was 361, against 331 on Thursday and 326 a day after Dussehera, all recorded "very-poor", according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
With more regions now suffering a "severe or severe-plus" air-quality, the top four most polluted regions in Delhi included Jahangirpuri in north Delhi (AQI 464) and Mundaka in west-Delhi (AQI 444), Dwarka sub-city in south-Delhi (AQI 436), Anand Vihar in east-Delhi (AQI 415) -- all marked "severe".
PM2.5 and PM10 or particles with diameter less than 2.5mm and 10mm, remained the major pollutant throughout the region, due to local factors such as vehicles, industries and dust and stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.
The average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 across 36 region of Delhi was 207 and 405 microgrammes per cubic meters respectively, at 6 pm. A day after Dussehera, when pollution was recorded the highest last time due to Ravana effigy burning and festival rush, the average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 at 6 pm was 181 and 388 units.
Across 48 regions in NCR on Friday, the PM2.5 and PM10 concentration was 198 and 384 units, while on Dussehera, concentrations across NCR were 181 and 388 units.
"The winds are mostly calm and directions are indefinite around Delhi due to two different western disturbances. Due to this the pollutants are not dispersing," said Mahesh Palawat, director private weather forecasting agency Skymet.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the situation is not set to change any sooner, while it may only get worse towards Diwali.
"There were north-westerly winds for sometime towards afternoon on Friday, apart from that the fire at landfill site at Bhalaswa which was only doused yesterday evening, may have their effect over Delhi's air," Shambhavi Shukla, researcher at CSE told IANS.
The survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, covered Delhi and the National Capital Region, in which 75,000 people participated.
"As many as 68 per cent citizens have said they will not be burning crackers to make sure that the level of pollution stays in control and the city does not become a gas chamber," said a report by LocalCircles.
In 2016, PM2.5 or particles with diameter less than 2.5mm, levels in some areas of Delhi increased to 1,238 on Diwali, which was about 50 times higher than the international standards and 20 times the national standards.
Later in October 2017 the Supreme Court imposed a ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi during Diwali last year.
Following this, pollution levels in Delhi were found to be lower in Diwali 2017 as compared to that during Diwali in 2016, a Central Pollution Control Board report found.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court passed a verdict, applicable throughout the year, allowing the use of only green firecrackers with reduced emission and decibel levels during all religious festivals.
The apex court also said this Diwali, firecrackers could be burst only between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The court also prohibited the manufacture, sale and use of joined firecrackers (series crackers or 'laris') and directed police station chiefs to be personally responsible for ensuring the compliance of its order.
The bench also asked the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) to review the clinical composition of fireworks, particularly for reducing the aluminium content and submit its report within two weeks.
Meanwhile, in the wake of fire incident at Bhalaswa landfill site, the survey also found 91 per cent citizens urging the municipal leadership to ensure zero garbage burning by staff and rag-pickers during these months to ensure that the level of pollution does not go beyond permissible limits.
As per its reports, between April 2020 and April 2021, NO2 pollution has increased in all the eight capitals of states studied -- Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Lucknow.
The report claimed the national capital has seen the 'most dramatic increase' during the period.
NO2 is a dangerous air pollutant that is released when fuel is burned, as in most motor vehicles, power generation, and industrial processes.
Exposure to NO2 can severely impact people's health at all ages, affecting the respiratory and circulatory systems and the brain, leading to an increase in hospital admissions and mortality.
"Satellite observations reveal NO2 pollution increased to 125 per cent of April 2020 levels. The analysis suggests the increase would have been even greater (146 per cent) had weather conditions been similar to 2020," read the report.
It further added, "Behind the Smokescreen - Satellite data revealed air pollution increase in India's eight most populous state capitals."
It further revealed that Mumbai witnessed an increase in NO2 pollution by 52 per cent, Bengaluru by 90 per cent, Hyderabad by 69 per cent, Chennai by 94 per cent, Kolkata by 11 per cent, Jaipur by 47 per cent and Lucknow by 32 per cent in April 2021 compared to the same month last year.
According to Avinash Chanchal, senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace India, the air quality levels in these eight cities are alarming. People are already paying a huge price for our reliance on burning fossil fuels and suggested that it should not continue.
"Motor vehicles and industries based on fossil fuel consumption are the major drivers of NO2 pollution in Indian cities. The governments, local administration and city planners must initiate the transition from privately owned vehicles to an efficient, clean and safe public transport system that is run on clean energy that of course, must provide Covid-19-related safety measures," Chanchal said.
On Thursday, Delhi and the region around it saw a "moderate" air quality with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 194 in Delhi at 4 p.m. It was consistent till 9 p.m.
This is for the first time that normal air quality was seen across Delhi-NCR since October 7 this year, while it is first December to have normal air in the last three years, officials said.
"The wind speeds are up and it also drizzled at places, beside for past two days, we ensured curbing of extra emissions from burning of garbage, controlling fire at landfill sites and by water sprinkling," A. Sudhakar, Member Secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), told IANS.
He added that efforts were bolstered in the last two days as the national capital hosted cricket matches where Sri Lankan players seen on the field wearing masks.
"Officials were posted at all the landfill sites to actively check any incident of fire and it was doused within hours. Earlier, it would take civic bodies 48 hours to douse such a fire. Besides, the stubble burning totally stopped," Sudhakar added.
On Thursday, the most polluted regions including Vasundhra in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, Anand Vihar in east Delhi and Delhi Technical University (DTU) in north Delhi saw normal air quality, ranging between "poor to moderate" since over 70 days as per records.
The level of major pollutant PM2.5, or particles with diameter less than 2.5 micrometers, at 9 p.m. was 88 across Delhi, while in Delhi NCR it was 87 against 254 and 261 on Tuesday.
The safe limit for PM2.5 according to International standards is 25 microgrammes per cubic meters and 60 units as per national standards.
"There could be more Decembers, but we began monitoring in 2015, since then it's for the first time when air quality has reached moderate," the official added.
The visiting Sri Lankan players wore masks while fielding after the lunch session on the second day at the Ferozshah Kotla.
As Delhi air quality deteriorated and it became hazy just after the lunch, umpires discussed the issue with the players and the match was halted for around 15 minutes.
It also said that in future the odd-even scheme will automatically come into force if the PM2.5 level goes above 300 and PM10 crosses the 500 mark.
The NGT ruled that only emergency vehicles will be exempted.
"The NGT today in its order said odd-even will implement automatically if the PM2.5 level goes above 300 and PM10 level goes above 500," Rajiv Bansal, counsel representing DDA, told reporters after the hearing.
"The tribunal also said that no VIP vehicles, government officials or women will be spared under this scheme," he said.
"Only emergency vehicles like fire brigade, ambulances and solid waste carrying vehicles will be allowed," he said.
The safe limit for PM2.5 and PM10 as per international standards is 25 and 60 microgrammes per cubic meters, while as per national standards it is 40 and 100 units respectively.
Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain tweeted: "Delhi govt is in talks with Pawan Hans for aerial sprinkling of water over the city to bring down particulate matter @ArvindKejriwal @msisodia."
This comes in wake of NGT's (National Green Tribunal) order on Thursday directing the government to track down all the hot spots with the PM10 more than 600 and spray water from helicopters or aircraft to tackle dust pollution across the city.
The helicopter service company, in a letter, asked the Delhi administration for a meeting to discuss the matter regarding the possibility of carrying out the exercise which "shall require a comprehensive feasibility study and approvals from various authorities".
Pawan Hans, an enterprise under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, said it "has the capacity to carry out such assignment and has carried out similar exercises in the past for washing of insulators of high tension lines and agriculture spraying."
It suggested setting up a joint group of the government and its own team to work out a proposal.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh appealed to farmers to abstain from the harmful practice, though farmers are not too enthusiastic about the plan drawn up by the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment.
The burning of paddy residue leads to massive pollution not only in Punjab but other northern states also.
"With 75 per cent of the 19.7 million tonnes of paddy straw generated in Punjab every year, the problem has assumed dangerous proportions, leading to loss of organic material for soil, degradation of air quality, and high SPM (suspended particulate matter) level," a state government spokesman said here.
"Of the total paddy straw, only 21.8 per cent is consumed in biomass-based projects, paper/cardboard mills and animal fodder/other uses, while a small portion is managed through other systems such as machinery and equipment," he added.
As part of its action plan, the department has suggested management of the remaining 15.40 million tonnes of paddy residue every year through crop diversification, agriculture straw management equipment, and industrial use.
"Significant investment is being made to set up biomass power plant, bio refineries and demonstration plants in the state to facilitate industrial use and energy conversion of the agricultural residue," the spokesman said.
The Chief Minister has suggested to the Centre to provide an incentive of Rs 100 per quintal of paddy in addition to MSP (minimum support price) to motivate farmers to desist from stubble-burning.
To strengthen the legal framework to control the problem, the state government in 2013 issued orders under Section 19(5) of the Air Act, 1981, to ban burning of all kinds of crop residue.
The spokesperson said all Deputy Commissioners have issued orders under the Code of Criminal Procedure to ban burning of wheat straw and other residue in their districts.
Authorities in Punjab will closely monitor the burning of stubble and initiate action against erring farmers.
"During wheat harvesting, environment compensation of Rs 61.47 lakh was imposed on farmers involved in 10,905 stubble-burning incidents," the spokesperson said.
The Sri Lankan players were seen fielding while wearing anti-pollution masks during India's batting with most of their players complaining of breathlessness. Their pace bowlers Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Gamage also threw up due to uneasiness.
The ICC has now decided to refer the matter to its medical committee, which has been provided the relevant reports as well as data of the prevailing air quality in Delhi.
"The ICC has noted the conditions in which Delhi Test was played and has already requested that the issue is considered by the medical committee for guidance should the situation arise in future. The matter is likely to be discussed in February's ICC Meetings," an ICC spokesperson told PTI on Friday.
As a result, there could be a slight alteration in the clauses of the Playing Conditions, where the health hazard of players related to severe air pollution can be incorporated.
"In ICC's 'Playing Conditions', there is a separate sub- clause for weather. Since this is a first instance in the game's 140-year history that a Test match has been halted for 26 minutes due to air-pollution. The situation as we all know is very unique in nature," a BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.
Since the Playing Conditions never had any specific mention of air-pollution, it is expected that permissible AQI (Air Quality Index) limit to play competitive cricket will be inserted.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA)'s president Dr KK Aggarwal in a letter to BCCI has also urged the cricket's governing body to include a clause on atmospheric pollution.
Dr Aggarwal on his part also provided data as to how it was a serious health issue for players that the match was not stopped.
"The safe levels of atmospheric particulate matter, according to World Health Organisation air-quality guidelines, are 20g/cu mm (annual mean) for PM10 and 10g/cu mm (annual mean) for PM2.5," he said.
Since 1993, after the Supreme Court intervened and passed a series of orders to secure the sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone, from the ravages of pollution, the union and the state governments have spent thousands of crores of Rupees on a slew of projects designed to bring down the air pollution level.
However, according to environmentalists the positive results of these measures have yet to show. The crude reality is that neither the air pollution level has come down, now has the general quality of life improved in the 10,000 sq km eco-sensitive zone around the Taj Mahal.
The suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the ambient air continues to remain alarmingly high round the year, and the dry-polluted river Yamuna poses a serious threat to the Taj Mahal and other Mughal monuments along its banks.
"India's tourism icon and a symbol of earthly love, the 17th century white marble mausoleum, the Taj Mahal, is a victim of both nature and man. If the monument looks sick and pale to visitors, the reason is the dry and heavily polluted Yamuna that once formed an integral part of the Taj Mahal complex," says eminent environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya of the River Connect Campaign.
During the scorching summer months the Taj is enveloped in yellowish sand from the neighbouring Rajasthan desert. Any discernible visitor can tell that the summer heat is taking its toll on the Taj Mahal, the timeless monument of love, blasted by sand from the dry Yamuna bed and the dust-laden winds from the Rajasthan desert, Bhattacharya added.
Many scientific studies in the past have identified the gaps left by illegal mining in the Aravali ranges that have raised the SPM (suspended particulate matter) in Agra. Against a standard of 100 microns per cubic metre, it remains as high as 300, touching 500 during summer months. The problem is that sandy particles rub against the monument and leave pock marks that make the surface rough.
The biggest challenge to the environment in the TTZ has been the continuously increasing number of automobiles. The number of vehicles in the past three decades has shot up from thousands to lakhs. Fortunately, a large number of vehicles in the city are now running on CNG (gas), as are the industries that are being allowed to run after the 1996 Supreme Court directive to shut down all coal based industries in the TTZ.
The number of vehicles in the city has shot up from around 40,000 in 1985 when Firozabad too was part of the Agra district, to more than a million now. The opening of the Yamuna Expressway, the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, has increased vehicular traffic, while the pressure of heavy vehicles on the Delhi-Kolkatta and Delhi-Mumbai national highways passing through Agra has increased phenomenally.
The Covid-19 pandemic, though has provided the Taj Mahal some breathing time and a respite, but in normal times, the fatigue and stress from human load has been quite discernible on the fragile white marble mausoleum. From a few hundred daily some decades ago, the Taj today is daily visited by thousands. This number does not include children below 15 years for whom entry is free. For five days in a year the entry to the monument is free for everyone. This opportunity is availed by lakhs of people.
Visitors who see the Taj Mahal for the first time never forget to ask the guides: "Is it turning yellow?" The explanation given by the guides is that it is the natural ageing process and has nothing to do with industrial pollution, as all polluting industries in the Agra region have been shut down by the Supreme Court.
To ensure dazzling whiteness and remove stains left behind by pollutants on the Taj Mahal, originally called Bagh-e-Baahist, or heavenly garden, the ASI carries out periodic "Multani mitti" (Fuller's earth) treatment. The white marble surface is also washed with soap and water Fridays, when the monument breathes freely on its weekly off.
When thousands of tourists invade the serene monument every day, leaving behind hand and foot marks on the white stones and tonnes of noxious gases through breathing, the cumulative affect on the fragile structure is huge. Only a few tourists are genuinely aware of the historic significance of the monument and its great heritage value, there are hordes of others who care nothing for the sanctity of the Taj, says Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.
A tourism industry leader, said: "The mausoleum must have been originally designed for 50 or 100 visitors a day. But now there is no end. With the tourism department and the Agra Development Authority making extra efforts to promote tourism, the number will continue to rise."
While the human load problem is being sorted out by a number of initiatives taken recently, it is the sad state of the Yamuna river at the rear that remains a huge problem defying solution. According to Guides and photographers, the whole area at the rear of the Taj Mahal, already resembles a desert or a vast wasteland, because there is no water in the river. "They have even brought hordes of camels. Perhaps some day, enterprising hoteliers May start desert safaris on the Yamuna river bed," said tourist guide Ved Gautam.
Though the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has restored the Mehtab Bagh at the rear of the Taj Mahal and the state forest department has developed a dense green buffer along the river bank on the opposite side, the Yamuna flows stinkingly.
"If there is no fresh supply of water in the river that touches the Taj foundation to provide a shock-absorbing buffer to insulate the building from seismic movements, the fear is that the monument could tilt, cave in or struggle for stability," fear local conservationists.
The study at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and its partner institutes estimated the economic cost of exposure to air pollution from crop residue burning at $30 billion, or nearly Rs 2 lakh crore annually, for the three northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
In five years, the economic loss due to burning of crop residue and firecrackers is estimated to be $190 billion, or nearly 1.7 per cent of India's gross domestic product.
Smoke from the burning of agricultural crop residue by farmers in Haryana and Punjab contributes to Delhi's poor air, increasing the risk of acute respiratory infection by three-fold for those living in districts with intense crop burning.
"Poor air quality is a recognized global public health epidemic, with levels of airborne particulate matter in Delhi spiking to 20 times the World Health Organization's safety threshold during certain days," IFPRI Research Fellow and the study co-author Samuel Scott said.
The study, "Risk of acute respiratory infection from crop burning in India: Estimating disease burden and economic welfare from satellite and national health survey data for 250,000 persons", is co-authored by IFPRI's Avinash Kishore, CGIAR Research Programme on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health's Devesh Roy; University of Washington's Suman Chakrabarti, and Oklahoma State University's Md. Tajuddin Khan.
It will be published in the upcoming edition of the International Journal of Epidemiology.
The study used NASA satellite data on fire activity to estimate the health impact of living in areas with intense crop burning by comparing them with areas not affected by crop residue burning.
The researchers observed that as crop burning increased in Haryana, respiratory health worsened.
Health was measured by the frequency of reported hospital visits for acute respiratory infection symptoms. They also examined other factors that could contribute to poor respiratory health such as burning firecracker during Diwali (it usually coincides with time of crop residue burning) and motor vehicle density.
In fact, economic losses owing to exposure to air pollution from firecracker burning are estimated to be around $7 billion, or nearly Rs 50,000 crore a year.
"Severe air pollution during winter months in northern India has led to a public health emergency. Crop burning will add to pollution and increase healthcare costs over time if immediate steps are not taken to reverse the situation. The negative health effects of crop burning will also lower the productivity of residents and may lead to long-term adverse impacts on the economy and health," said Chakrabarti.
"Our study shows that it is not only the residents of Delhi, but also the women, children and men of rural Haryana who are the first victims of crop residue burning," Kishore added.
Crop burning is a widespread global practice and in India it is concentrated in northwest India, though has spread to other regions of the country in the past decade as new crop harvesting technology is adopted.
Farmers try to maximize their yields by planting the next crop as soon as possible after the previous crop has been harvested (generally wheat after rice).
To quickly clear the field for the next crop, they burn the leftover stubble rather than using the traditional method of clearing it by hand.
Most of the flights were domestic and could not land due to minimum visibility falling around the airport premises.
"Till a while back, about 32 flights were diverted due to bad weather. Pollution and other weather conditions have caused low visibility at the airport," said an official working at the Delhi airport.
Diversion of flights have inconvenienced thousands of passengers throwing their travel plans out of the gear.
"The weather is expected to get better. The situation has improved a bit already," said the official.
The Delhi airport operator on its Twitter handle said, "Update issued at 1130 hours: Due to low visibility, flight operations at Delhi Airport are affected. All CAT-II compliant pilots are able to operate. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is regretted."
The top court directed that no demolition and construction activities should take place in Delhi and the NCR, and that local administration would be held personally responsible in case of violation.
The court also banned garbage burning and asked civic bodies to prevent open dumping of garbage.
The order by the bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta came while hearing matters related to air pollution, which has turned severe.
When the bench was told that beside stubble burning, construction activities and garbage burning are major cause of air pollution in the national capital, the court asked state governments and civic bodies to penalize the offenders.
Amicus curiae Aparajita Singh told the court that despite directions, construction and demolition are being carried out in the national capital. She also pointed out that restrictions on the construction works are only visible in the newspaper.
Raising objection to the submission, the counsel appearing for the government said there is a complete ban on construction work and it is being followed.
Officials of the Ministry of Environment and Forest and an IIT Professor also apprised the court that about the material being used in the construction activities.
The top court, after hearing all the parties, directed that a high-level committee should hold a meeting today itself and discuss every issue which contributes to pollution, including construction works and also crop residue fires. The court said a report should be placed before it on Wednesday.
Here are the top 5 tips that you can use to stay healthy in such conditions:
1. Using The Right Mask
Although the Desi girl was trolled for using a mask, doctors advise using the right mask to combat the side effects of air pollution. It should be noted that wearing a simple cloth mask cannot fulfill the purpose. Rather you must invest in special masks, for example, N99 and N95 which are expensive but are highly effective.
2. Wear Sunglasses
In cities like Delhi with a high level of pollution, eyes can get infected or damaged if harmful particles from the air enter them. So it is always advisable to wear sunglasses that cover the eyes adequately.
3. Staying Indoors Can Help
Doing cardio workouts in the open in Delhi pollution can be risky. As you draw the polluted air deeper during inhaling it reaches your lungs and can leave the pollutant inside the body. It can lead to respiratory ailments.
In case you want to stay healthy and active, opt for workouts/activities at home like cycling, spot jogging, etc. According to the latest reports, inhaling polluted air or smog leads to the development of more mucus in the lungs.
4. Keeping Body Hydrated
Pollution introduces a lot of toxicity inside your body. To wash these toxins away and stay hydrated, health experts recommend drinking vegetable and fruit juices and increase the intake of water.
5. Indoor Greenery Helps
Keeping indoor plants not only makes the home look beautiful but it is also one way of introducing fresh oxygen in the indoor environment. Plants like Spider or Aloe Vera can suck up carbon dioxide and maintain better air quality indoors.
Friday is unlikely to be any better with weather experts predicting a similar situation due to the influence of a western disturbance, the reason behind the dense cloud cover and a dip in wind speed.
However, wind speed is predicted to pick up on Saturday and a gradual decline in pollution is likely thereafter, they say.
The air quality index in the national capital read 463 at 4pm, up from 456 on Wednesday and more than four times the satisfactory levels of 50-100.
The satellite towns of Ghaziabad (467), Greater Noida (462), Gurgaon (447), Faridabad (446) and Noida (470) also reeled under the toxic smog.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe'.
Levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels were nearly eight times higher than the normal limits at several locations in the city.
Schools remained closed on Thursday as the thick smog stiffened its choke on the national capital and its suburbs, restricting most of the children indoors on Children's Day.
Parents, students and school authorities voiced their anguish, wondering what the future holds and whether anything could be done to disperse the pollutants.
Several children wrote to Modi, urging him to take steps to ensure that they get clean air to breathe.
"I used to enjoy soccer earlier but now I can only enjoy it on TV. I cannot play outside because the air is too toxic to breathe in," Ishan Mahant, a student, said in his missive.
Many students posted copies of their handwritten letters on Twitter with the hashtag "BacchonKeMankiBaat".
"At this point we need a strong directive from the government of India and the governments of the states affected to control this serious condition. We do have belief in our beloved Prime Minister who will surely take strong decision on this," said another student.
The Delhi government and the administration in several NCR cities had on Wednesday ordered closure of schools following a directive of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority.
The Central Pollution Control Board and EPCA are likely to review the situation on Friday. The Delhi government is also expected to take a call on extending the odd-even road rationing scheme.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor SAFAR said due to "stagnation and very low mixing height, flushing (of pollutants) is almost insignificant.
Scattered rainfall is expected over Punjab due to the western disturbance. It is likely to lead to very low fire count over the next two days, it said.
"Also, transport-level wind direction is not favourable for the intrusion. Hence, stubble contribution is estimated to reduce significantly by tomorrow to around 5 per cent," it said.
The AAP hit out at the Centre for not taking "concrete steps" to tackle the menace despite the apex court's directions in this regard.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP is trying to "politicise" a sensitive issue.
Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi urged Modi to amend the Air Act 1981 and come up with a five-year national action plan to ensure clean air.
Satyarthi, on the occasion of Children's Day, was to participate in an event, which was cancelled due to alarming levels of pollution in the national capital.
In a letter the prime minister, he said, "Standing with you, I call upon the Honourable Prime Minister of India, to demonstrate his visionary leadership by amending the Air Act 1981 and come up with a five-year national action plan to ensure clean air."
He further said that there is a need to "clean up our intentions and actions".
"Everyone is aware of what is happening in Delhi-NCR with regard to water and air. Life is becoming short, then why death penalty," asked Akshay in the review petition filed through advocate A.P. Singh.
The Supreme Court on July 9, 2018, had dismissed the review pleas filed by the other convicts in the case, except Akshay who did not file a review petition. Singh filed the review plea for his client in the top court on Tuesday.
Akshay pleaded that the air quality of Delhi has deteriorated, and the capital city has literally become a gas chamber. Even the water in the city is also full of poison, the plea claimed.
A 23-year-old paramedic student was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012, inside a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons. Later, she was thrown out of the bus at an isolated place. The victim succumbed to her injuries on December 29, 2012, at a hospital in Singapore.
The apex court had earlier dismissed the review pleas by Mukesh (30), Pawan Gupta (23) and Vinay Sharma (24), ruling that no ground was established by the accused of seeking a review of the death penalty.
(IANS)
According to the World Air Quality Report 2019 compiled by IQAir Air Visual,
Ghaziabad is the most polluted city in the world, followed by Hotan in China, Gujranwala and Faisalabad in Pakistan and then Delhi in the fifth place.
The 21 Indian cities which are in world's 30 most polluted cities, in the order of their ranking, are, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Greater Noida, Bandhwari, Lucknow, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Jind, Faridabad, Coraut, Bhiwadi, Patna, Palwal, Muzaffarpur, Hisar, Kutail, Jodhpur and Moradabad.
According to country-wise data, India ranked fifth in the world's most polluted countries with Bangladesh on top of the list followed by Pakistan, Mongolia and Afghanistan.
However, the report also mentions that Indian cities have shown improvement from last year.
"Whilst cities in India, on average, exceed the World Health Organisation (WHO) target for annual PM 2.5 exposure by 500 per cent, national air pollution decreased by 20 per cent from 2018 to 2019 with 98 per cent of the cities experiencing improvement," the report said.
PM 2.5 includes pollutants such as sulfate, nitrates and black carbon. Exposure to such particles has been linked to lung and heart disorders, and can impair cognitive and immune functions.
Frank Hammes, IQAir CEO said, "While the Coronavirus is dominating international headlines, a silent killer is contributing to nearly seven million more deaths a year that is air pollution. The gap in air quality data in large parts of the world poses a serious problem, as what is not measured cannot be managed.
"Areas that lack air quality information are often estimated to have some of the world's most severe air pollution, putting huge populations at risk. Growing public monitoring data globally, presents an opportunity to empower citizens and governments to implement informed policies to improve air quality."
Commenting on the report, Avinash Chanchal, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace India said the steps being taken to control pollution are not sufficient.
"In Delhi, be it bypass roads, shutting down of Badarpur power plant, shifting the industries to PNG and BS VI mandate have had result in reduction of pollution levels on an annual average basis supported by favourable meteorological conditions in 2019 and an ongoing slowdown in marketplace, but latest World Air Quality Report is an indication that the steps taken are not sufficient," Chanchal said.
He said the latest report and the one released last year are reflective of the trend that household and agricultural biomass burning is falling but fossil-fuelled energy consumption remains very high.
"Power Plants have not adhered and missed the deadline to install Flue Gas Desulphurization units to control pollution and the public transportation is nowhere near to be adequate to turn the tide on reducing dependence on privatized vehicle use.
"These facts are out in public domain, media reports about it regularly and the public is aware as well. Now the responsibility lies with the government to fix the accountability," he said.
(PTI)
Stressing on "collective action on ground" to counter the effects of pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai appealed to the Centre while launching the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign in all the 272 wards of the national capital.
"Stubble burning is the biggest contributor of pollution in Delhi, especially ahead of Diwali season. How should Delhi deal with that? I request the Central government to take some action rather than just making a commission, because pollution combined with the current pandemic can cause catastrophic consequences for the people of Delhi," Rai said.
The Minister raised questions on Union Minister Prakash Javadekar's claim that stubble burning contributes 4 per cent to 6 per cent, saying the statistics clearly state 40 per cent contribution.
The Minister assured that the Delhi government will do everything in its capacity to make sure pollution is contained, but expressed its limitations to do anything to stop the toxic haze from stubble burning to pollute the city.
He said that through initiatives such as 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off', the Delhi government is combating internal sources of pollution in the capital.
"To curb rising pollution levels, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on October 5 launched the "Yuddh, Pradushan ke Viruddh" campaign. Under this umbrella campaign, initiatives to combat pollution caused by dust, stubble burning or vehicles were launched. Anti-dust drive was also launched under this campaign. 'Red light On, Gaadi Off' campaign is being implemented within Delhi till November 15. We are taking it to 272 wards as the pollution levels are increasingly rising."
On the issue of ban of firecrackers by Rajasthan, Rai said pollution is not defined by state boundaries, it is defined by air sets.
"It has an air set of around 300 kms, which means pollution will affect the radius of 300 kms. People are being ignorant of this fact. In order to combat pollution, there is a requirement for action to be implemented on the ground. Collective effort is required to deal with this issue."
He said individual effort is not enough to fight pollution.
"There is a need to implement collective action. All Ministers need to take cognizance of this fact. In Delhi, it was repeatedly being said that the rising pollution level is due to stubble burning in neighbouring states, and the response we received from the Central government and states was that there is no alternative to stubble burning."
In Delhi, the Minister said the Delhi government has used the bio-decomposer developed by the Pusa Research Institute and the result is positive.
On November 4, Rai said, Delhi Chief Minister shall be inspecting the ground reality at Hiranki village in outer Delhi.
"We want to tell the states and the Central government that there is no cheaper alternative than this for stubble burning. We request them to physically witness the bio-decomposer at work."
(IANS)
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