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☆ The 15 cities in the US with the worst air quality, ranked
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

IQAir's air quality report ranked the world's most and least polluted areas. The report revealed 92.5% of countries and only 9% of cities met WHO's PM2.5 guidelines in 2023. AdvertisementSwiss company IQAir ranked the most and least polluted countries and cities in the world in a recent air quality report. And only 9% of cities surveyed achieved WHO's guidelines of acceptable PM2.5 levels in 2023. Meanwhile, cities in California, Georgia, and Iowa were named the most polluted, as shown in the below ranking.

Persons: WHO's, —, IQAir Organizations: Service, Business Locations: California , Georgia, Iowa, Swiss, Arizona , Nevada, Colorado

☆ 15 cities in the US with the cleanest air, and how much houses cost there
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Business Insider has compiled the top 15 US cities with the cleanest air based on IQAir data. BI cross-referenced the data with house price data to identify places that are both cheap at clean. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Swiss company IQAir recently released its annual air quality report, ranking the most and least polluted countries and cities in the world. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, IQAir Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Arizona , Nevada, Colorado, Swiss

☆ Only Iceland, Finland, and 5 other countries had clean enough air to meet a global safety standard: data
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The 2023 World Air Quality Report showed that only a few countries have acceptable air quality. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementHardly any countries have clean enough air to hit a global safety benchmark, according to new research. The only seven countries deemed acceptable were Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, Australia, and New Zealand. Advertisement"The science is pretty clear about the impacts of air pollution and yet we are so accustomed to having a background level of pollution that's too high to be healthy.

Persons: —, IQAir, Marco Bottigelli, Hammes, David Dee Delgado Organizations: Service, World Health Organization, Guardian, Chrysler, Getty, Las Locations: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Canada, North America, Swiss, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, French Polynesia, Southern Iceland, Northern America, West, New York City, Helinski, Tallinn, Hamilton, Bermuda, Reykjavik, Canberra, Wellington, San Juan ( Puerto Rico, Columbus , Ohio, Las Vegas

☆ One Thing Most Countries Have in Common: Unsafe Air
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Only 10 countries and territories out of 134 achieved the World Health Organization’s standards for a pervasive form of air pollution last year, according to air quality data compiled by IQAir, a Swiss company. The pollution studied is called fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, because it refers to solid particles less than 2.5 micrometers in size: small enough to enter the bloodstream. PM2.5 is the deadliest form of air pollution, leading to millions of premature deaths each year. “Air pollution and climate change both have the same culprit, which is fossil fuels,” said Glory Dolphin Hammes, the CEO of IQAir’s North American division. The World Health Organization sets a guideline that people shouldn’t breathe more than 5 micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter of air, on average, throughout a year.

Persons: IQAir, ” Organizations: Health, IQAir’s North, World Health Organization, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: Swiss, U.S

☆ World’s worst polluted cities are in Asia - India’s Begusarai topping IQAir report
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“We see that in every part of our lives that air pollution has an impact,” said IQAir Global CEO Frank Hammes. “And it typically, in some of the most polluted countries, is likely shaving off anywhere between three to six years of people’s lives. Central and South Asia were the worst performing regions globally, home to all four of the most polluted countries last year: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Tajikistan. South Asia is of particular concern, with 29 of the 30 most polluted cities in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. One bright spot is increasing pressure and civic engagement from communities, NGOs, companies, and scientists to monitor air quality.

Persons: ”, Frank Hammes, Hammes, “ What’s, IQAir, Chiang Mai, that’s, ” Hammes Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Health, IQAir, WHO, Dhaka, CNN, America, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, India, India’s Bihar, Guwahati, Assam, Delhi, Mullanpur, Punjab, South Asia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Lahore, New Delhi, Finland, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, French Polynesia, Canada, Alberta, United States, Minneapolis, Detroit, Columbus , Ohio, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, China, Beijing, Hotan, Southeast Asia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangkok, Africa, South America, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Chad

☆ Indonesia election: Young voters will decide the country’s future, here’s what they care about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Rachel Wilson | Rosa Deacostanoya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

With a majority of the electorate under 40 years of age, the candidates are all vying for young voters to claim victory. On the ground, young voters are struggling to find jobs that suit their aspirations.” Yoes Kenawas, doctoral candidate at Northwestern UniversityIn addition to these economic concerns, more young voters also now worry about climate change. The social media battlegroundNearly 80% of people in Indonesia are connected to the internet and people aged 16 to 64 spend an average of more than three hours a day on social media, according to the We Are Social 2023 Digital Report, which provides global social media insights. Wednesday’s results will potentially offer a verdict on how effective social media campaigns have been in addressing young voters’ worries. There is a concern that young voters could get trapped in “a political campaign that is relying on gimmicks,” Kenawas said.

Persons: Indonesia’s, Joko Widodo, Ganjar Pranowo, Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, — Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Raka, Widodo’s, Subianto, Abigail Limuria, Bijak, ” Abigail Limuria, ”, Yoes Kenawas, ” Yoes Kenawas, Instagram, Kenawas, Muhaimin Iskandar, Mahfud, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Subianto’s, Widodo, He’s, he’s, ’, ” Kenawas Organizations: CNN, Indonesia, Indonesian Defense, CNN Indonesia, Center for Strategic, International Studies, International Labour Organization, Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency, Northwestern University, “, CSIS, Widodo Locations: Central Java, Jakarta, Swiss, Indonesia, policymaking, CNN Indonesia

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With Planet Earth running a fever, U.N. climate talks focused Sunday on the contagious effects on human health. “Climate change doesn’t need to be on a death certificate for us to be confident that climate change is causing deaths,” Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, WHO’s head of climate and health, said. Dubai, the largest city in oil-rich United Arab Emirates, often faces higher levels of air pollution than other places on Earth due to its location — and haze is common. The Dubai government, on its web site devoted to the environment, listed its Air Quality Index level mostly at “good” on Sunday. Switzerland-based IQAir, a technology company that sells air-quality monitoring products, listed Dubai as the city with the 18th-worst air quality in the world with “moderate” air quality levels as of noon local time on Sunday.

Persons: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, ”, —, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, John Kerry, ” Kerry, Vanessa, Tedros, Diarmid Campbell, ” Diarmid Campbell, Jon Gambrell, Peter Prengaman Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Health Organization, Conference, WHO, United, Associated Press, AP Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, U.N, —, U.S, United Arab Emirates, Persian, Switzerland

Suryana has spent more than three decades living in the shadow of the power plant in northern Java, just 60 miles from Jakarta, Indonesia’s most populous city. Emissions from burning coal, which is highly polluting but relatively cheap, contribute up to a third of Indonesia’s air pollution according to Siti Nurbaya, Indonesia’s Environmental and Forestry Minster. The Indonesian government has called on residents to use public transportation and has given regulation and financial incentives to residents who want to shift from using gas or diesel-fueled vehicles to electric vehicles. The government is pushing to have more than 530,000 electric vehicles on the road in Indonesia by 2030. Because industry is contributing 30% to 40% of the air pollution in Jakarta, in addition to emissions from transportation,” Syuhada said.

Persons: Suryana, “ We’ve, ”, Ginanjar Syuhada, —, Siti Nurzanah, ” Nurzanah, Syuhada, “, Siti Nurbaya, Budi Karya, ” Syuhada Organizations: —, United Nations, Associated Press, World Health Organization, Air, Vital, Indonesia’s Ministry of Health, WHO, Jakarta Health Agency, Jakarta's Persahabatan, Persahabatan Hospital, Forestry, Transportation Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Java, Jakarta, Indonesia’s, United, Dubai, Swiss, Indonesian, New York

☆ Cricket World Cup 2023: Polluted air the common opponent
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Air quality during 2023 Cricket World Cup matchesChart categorises the 2023 cricket World Cup matches held in 10 Indian cities by the air quality observed during the matches they hosted. Twenty matches were held in ‘unhealthy’ air quality, 11 in air that was ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, 12 in ‘moderate’ air quality and only two in ‘good’ air quality. Average 24-hour PM 2.5 levels on all cricket World Cup match days between 1983 and 2019Chart shows average PM 2.5 concentration on match days at places that hosted a cricket World Cup match between 1983 and 2019. Of all the regions that have ever hosted a cricket World Cup match, the Indian subcontinent has seen the most polluted air. Map shows average annual PM 2.5 levels in 2019 across the world and locations that have ever hosted a cricket World Cup match.

Persons: Delhi’s Arun, Arun Jaitley, ITO, Chandika Hathurusinghe, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Suranga Lakmal, Mohammad Shami vomited Organizations: Sri Lankan, teams, Arun, ITO, Labs Inc, . Environmental Protection Agency, Delhi, United States Environment Protection Agency, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organization, Indian, Matches, Daily, International Cricket Council, Endurance Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, Lahore, Pakistan, Australia, Netherlands, India, ITO, Sri Lanka, England, Indian, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Sri Lankan, U.S, Canberra, United States, China, Bangladesh

☆ Indian capital resumes some activities despite hazardous air, river foam
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Kanjyik Ghosh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - India's capital Delhi re-opened schools and some building sites on Monday amid signs of receding air pollution, although it remained classified as hazardous, while a toxic foam besmirched stretches of the Yamuna river flowing through the city. The world's most polluted capital resumed its annual battle on pollution this month, despite government pledges to improve. Monday's air quality index (AQI) of 336 was down from Thursday's level of 509, but still "hazardous", Swiss group IQAir said. Delhi's air pollution gets worse in winter, when wind speeds drop and cooling air traps pollutants spewed by vehicles, industry and farmers burning agricultural waste in surrounding states to prepare for new planting. PM2.5 levels remained above 128 micrograms per cubic meter of air since Sunday in the National Capital Region, according to the federal pollution control board.

Persons: Anushree, IQAir, Ankit Srivastava, Gopal Rai, Kanjyik Ghosh, Shivam Patel, Clarence Fernandez, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Delhi's, Vehicles, National Capital, World Health Organization, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Delhi, Mumbai

☆ New Delhi air pollution: Why can’t India’s capital clean up its toxic air like Beijing?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“It’s an invisible killer,” said Jyoti Pande Lavakare, author of “Breathing Here is Injurious to Your Health: The Human Cost of Air Pollution” and co-founder of clean air non-profit Care for Air. China’s capital has since cleaned up its act, which begs the question: if Beijing can clean up its toxic air, why can’t India too? A key moment in China’s fightback came in 2013, when the government started to invest billions of dollars into a national air pollution action plan. Hundreds of thousands of lives savedChina’s raft of clean air policies have been so successful, they have saved hundreds of thousands of lives, research has shown. They say Kejriwal’s team has done little in terms of implementing effective policies to clean New Delhi’s air.

Persons: “, ”, Jyoti Pande Lavakare, Arun Sankar, China’s, –, Wang Zhao, China’s fightback, Frank Christian Hammes, IQAir, Sunil Dahiya, Dahiya, Stringer, Arvind Kejriwal, Kejriwal, Virendra Sachdeva, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sudhanshu Dhulia, Raj K Raj, “ You’re Organizations: CNN, Health, Pollution, Air, Getty, United, Global, Energy, Institute, University of Chicago, Centre for Research, Clean, Bloomberg, Beijing, Care for Air, Aam Aadmi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, AAP, Ministry of Environment, Hindustan Times Locations: Delhi, Beijing, India, ”, AFP, United States, China, Swiss, New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, New, Indonesia, Malaysia, Care, CREA, IQAir

☆ Explainer: Why is South Asia the global hotspot of pollution?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Sakshi Dayal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The worsening air pollution is an annual problem for South Asian nations as winter approaches and cold, heavy air traps pollution in a thick layer of smog. South Asia has become the global hotspot for air pollution, with studies finding four of the world's most polluted countries and nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the region. WHY IS POLLUTION IN SOUTH ASIA WORSE THAN OTHER PLACES? An increase in the number of vehicles on roads as the region has developed has also exacerbated the pollution problem. Countries across South Asia will have to coordinate efforts if the region's pollution problem is to be solved, collaborating to enhance monitoring and make policy decisions.

Persons: stubble, Anushree, Sakshi Dayal, Michael Perry Organizations: Swiss Group, REUTERS, ., Thomson Locations: DELHI, South Asia, Asia, New Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh's

☆ Three Indian cities among world's 10 most polluted after Diwali
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Two Indian cities joined New Delhi to be among the world's worst 10 for pollution on Monday morning, with smoke heavy in the air a day after revellers let loose with firecrackers for Diwali - the annual Hindu festival of light. It had an air quality index (AQI) figure of 420, putting it the 'hazardous' category, according to Swiss group IQAir. An AQI level of 400-500 impacts healthy people and is dangerous to those with existing diseases, while a level of 150-200 brings discomfort to people with asthma, lung and heart problems. Every year authorities impose bans on firecrackers in the capital, but only rarely do those bans appear to be enforced. Air quality in India deteriorates every year ahead of winter, when cold air traps pollutants from vehicles, industry, construction dust and agricultural waste burning.

Persons: Tanvi Mehta, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Swiss, Kolkata, India's, Mumbai, India

☆ Smoky skies in Indian capital on Diwali as revellers defy firecracker ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Neha Arora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smoke plumes were visible across the sky as revellers let off firecrackers in the evening to mark the country's biggest festival. Every year government authorities or India's Supreme Court impose bans on firecrackers - but only rarely do those bans appear to be enforced. Globally, air pollution was the worst in India's eastern city of Kolkata, while Delhi was the fifth-most polluted, according to Swiss group IQAir. Doctors say the air quality is likely to worsen on Monday as smoke from firecrackers lingers in the air, potentially causing itchy eyes and irritation in the throat. Some Hindus resent the Diwali firecracker bans, which they see as an attempt to interfere with them observing their religious festivals.

Persons: Health Organization's, Deepak, Dr, Ram Manohar, Gopal Rai, Neha Arora, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Health, Ram Manohar Lohia, Delhi's, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Kolkata, Delhi, Swiss

☆ Pakistan’s Lahore is the latest megacity to shut down as pollution chokes swathes of South Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Lahore has become the latest megacity to shut down as pollution chokes swathes of South Asia, where nearly 50 million people have been breathing toxic air for nearly a week. Commuters make their way through a busy street amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 7, 2023. The PM2.5 levels in all these cities far exceed the World Health Organization’s limit and illustrate a growing concern for South Asian countries as they experience rapid industrializations and population booms that are fueling pollution levels. Commuters make their way along the Signature Bridge amid heavy smog conditions in New Delhi on November 9, 2023. The study also found that every single one of India’s 1.4 billion residents endures annual average pollution levels that exceed guidelines set by the World Health Organization.

Persons: Mohsin Naqvi, Arif Ali, Arun Sankar Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Lahore –, Getty, Getty Images Dhaka, Energy, Institute, University of Chicago, World Health Organization, Doctors Locations: Lahore, South Asia, Swiss, Pakistan’s Punjab, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, AFP, Pakistan, India, New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, India’s, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangladesh, Delhi

☆ Indian capital gets a breather as rain brings respite from smog
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

India's weather department has forecast intermittent rain over the city and adjoining areas till early noon on Friday. Meanwhile, air in the financial capital of Mumbai has markedly improved due to showers in nearby coastal areas. This year, attention on the worsening air quality has cast a shadow over the cricket World Cup hosted by India. Scientists and authorities were planning to seed clouds in New Delhi around Nov. 20 to trigger heavy rain, the first such attempt to clean the air. Friday's rain comes two days before the Diwali festival, when many people defy a ban on firecrackers, causing a spike in air pollution.

Persons: Anushree, Tanvi Mehta, Rajendra Jadhav, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, India, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Swiss, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Kolkata, India's, Mumbai

☆ Indian Capital Gets a Breather as Rain Brings Respite From Smog
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Overnight rain in New Delhi and its suburbs brought some relief to the Indian capital on Friday morning, where authorities were mulling seeding clouds to improve the toxic air gripping the city. India's weather department has forecast intermittent rain over the city and adjoining areas till early noon on Friday. Meanwhile, air in the financial capital of Mumbai has markedly improved due to showers in nearby coastal areas. This year, attention on the worsening air quality has cast a shadow over the cricket World Cup hosted by India. Friday's rain comes two days before the Diwali festival, when many people defy a ban on firecrackers, causing a spike in air pollution.

Persons: Tanvi Mehta, Rajendra Jadhav, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: India Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Swiss, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Kolkata, India's, Mumbai

☆ Indian scientists hope cloud seeding can clean Delhi's toxic air
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Air quality dips in Delhi ahead of winter every year, when cold air traps pollutants from a variety of sources including vehicles, industries, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning. The project, estimated to cost 10 million rupees ($120,000) for 100 square kilometres (38.6 square miles), would involve spraying into clouds a mix of salts that include silver iodine, Agrawal said. "We don't expect that big a cloud that will cover entire Delhi, but a few hundred kilometres would be good," he told Reuters. The air quality index in the city was 506 early on Thursday, which is categorised as "hazardous" by Swiss group IQAir. Several countries have used cloud seeding to produce rain, improve air quality and water crops in time of drought, including Mexico, the United States, China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Persons: Anushree, Manindra Agrawal, Agrawal, Gufran Beig, SAFAR, Beig, Shivam Patel, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Indian Institute of Technology, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Delhi, Kanpur, Punjab, Haryana, Mexico, United States, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Mexico

☆ Toxic foam coats sacred river near New Delhi as Indian capital battles hazardous pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A thick layer of toxic foam has once again coated parts of a sacred river near New Delhi as the Indian capital battles an acrid and noxious smog that has settled across the city. The pungent foam contains high levels of ammonia and phosphates, which can cause respiratory and skin problems, according to experts. Yamuna river covered with a thick layer of toxic foam due near Kalindi Kunj, on September 10, 2023 in New Delhi, India. The river is most polluted in areas surrounding Delhi, owing to the area’s dense population and high levels of waste. Pictures from September also showed toxic foam forming on the Yamuna.

Persons: Salman Ali, Surya Organizations: CNN, Press Trust of India, Hindustan Times Locations: New Delhi, India’s, Tamil Nadu, Kalindi, India, Delhi, Oslo, Beijing, Kolkata, Mumbai

☆ Reeling under toxic air, India's capital shuts schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People and vehicles are seen on a road amidst the morning smog in New Delhi, India, November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Reeling under hazardous air quality levels, India's capital New Delhi shut down all schools for an extended period on Wednesday, the latest in a series of measures to protect residents from growing air pollution. Air quality levels in the city were over 320 on the air quality index, a level categorised as 'hazardous' by Swiss group IQAir, although it was not as bad as the 400 range hit earlier this week. Schools in the capital city would remain closed from Thursday until Nov. 18 on a winter break, which was originally scheduled for January, the Delhi government said in a notification. Primary schools in the city had already been shut, as part of measures to protect young children against smog and growing air pollution.

Persons: Anushree, SAFAR, Shivam Patel, Manoj Kumar, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Swiss, Delhi, Farmers, Punjab, Haryana

☆ Pollution Forces City-Wide Closures of Businesses, Schools in Eastern Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Mubasher BukhariLAHORE (Reuters) - Heavy pollution-fuelled smog forced authorities to close schools and markets this week in Pakistan's most populous province, including the eastern city of Lahore which has risen to one of the world's worst cities for hazardous air quality. Schools, offices, restaurants and businesses, aside from priority services like pharmacies, hospitals and courts, would all close to limit residents' movement outside, according to a directive from the provincial government. Heavy smog blanketed Lahore this week, reducing visibility and leading residents to complain of a threat to their health. In neighbouring India, authorities in Delhi have announced they would restrict use of vehicles next week to curb rising pollution as air quality in the capital remained dangerously unsafe despite mitigation efforts. (Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Michael Perry)

Persons: Mubasher Bukhari, Amir Mir, Mohammad Salahuddin, Charlotte Greenfield, Michael Perry Organizations: Schools Locations: Mubasher, Mubasher Bukhari LAHORE, Pakistan's, Lahore, Punjab, Swiss, Delhi, Karachi, South Asia, India

☆ India's top court tells states to stop crop burning as New Delhi's air turns hazardous
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Air quality dips every year ahead of winter, when calm and cold winds trap pollutants from sources including vehicles, industries, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning. Delhi has stopped local construction, closed primary schools till Nov. 10 and will impose restrictions on use of vehicles next week to fight pollution, but it wants its neighbouring states to control crop residue burning. At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the real time air quality index stood at 306, a level categorised as 'hazardous' by Swiss group IQAir. "We direct the state government of Punjab and adjacent states to Delhi - Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh - to ensure that crop (residue) burning is stopped forthwith," Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana usually burn crop stubble left behind after rice is harvested in late October or early November to quickly clear their fields before planting wheat crops.

Persons: Anushree, Boulton, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, SAFAR, Justice Kaul, Kaul, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, NEW, Farmers, Thomson Locations: Karnal district, Haryana, India, NEW DELHI, New Delhi, Delhi, Swiss, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh

☆ Choking New Delhi smog shutters schools and shrouds Cricket World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A throat-searing blanket of smog has enveloped New Delhi, forcing schools to shut and disrupting the Cricket World Cup as officials rush to contain a pollution crisis that has become an annual occurrence in the Indian capital. New Delhi started the week with a PM 2.5 concentration nearly 80 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit, according to Swiss air quality company IQAir. Traffic moves on a road enveloped by fog and smog in New Delhi, India, on November 3, 2023. The study also found that every single one of India’s 1.4 billion residents endure annual average pollution levels that exceed guidelines set by WHO. A passenger plane ready to take off at IGI Airport amid heavy smog on November 5, 2023 in New Delhi, India.

Persons: ”, Prachi, Health Organization’s, Awesta Chaudhary, “, Chaudhary, Vipin Kumar, Suranjit Chatterjee Organizations: CNN, Cricket, Health, Bangladesh, Arun, Authorities, Energy, Institute, University of Chicago, WHO, IGI, Hindustan Times, Internal Medicine, Apollo Hospital Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, . New Delhi, India, Sri Lanka, New, “

NEW DELHI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - India's capital New Delhi was wrapped in a thick layer of toxic haze on Friday and some schools were ordered closed as the air quality index (AQI) plummeted to the "severe" category. In India, the annual average concentration of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) in the air is the highest in northern regions. Officials said they saw no immediate improvement in the air quality. Delhi hosts a World Cup match on Monday between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Poor air quality also caused respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes and restlessness in pet animals.

Persons: Aheed Khan, Ashwani Kumar, Prabhat Gangwar, Tanvi Mehta, Rajesh, Blassy Boben, Manoj Kumar, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: joggers, Residents, Officials, Control Committee, Farmers, Health, Friendicoes, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Swiss, Pakistani, Lahore, Delhi, India, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

☆ Air pollution in India's New Delhi turns 'severe,' some schools shut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Heavy smog seen engulfed amid rise in pollution levels at Barakhamba on Nov. 2, 2023 in New Delhi, India. People in New Delhi woke up to a thick layer of toxic haze on Friday, and some schools were ordered to be shut for two days as the air quality index (AQI) entered the "severe" category in several parts of the Indian capital. A filthy smog forms over Delhi every winter as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from crop stubble burning in neighboring states, causing a surge in respiratory illnesses among the city's 20 million people. New Delhi topped a real-time list on Friday of the world's most polluted cities compiled by Swiss group IQAir which put the India's capital's AQI at 611 in the 'hazardous' category. "Unfavorable meteorological conditions, sudden increase in the farm fire incidents and north-westerly winds moving the pollutants to Delhi are the major causes for sudden spike in AQI," the region's Commission for Air Quality Management said on Thursday.

Organizations: Residents, region's Commission, Air Quality Management Locations: New Delhi, India, Delhi, Swiss

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