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☆ Toxic smog covers Indian capital as pollution hits record levels
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI — Residents in India’s northern states woke up to another day of poor air quality on Tuesday, as a layer of dense fog shrouded most of the region, and pollution in the capital, Delhi, remained severe. India battles air pollution every winter as cold, heavy air traps dust, emissions and smoke from farm fires started illegally in the adjoining, farming states of Punjab and Haryana. The Taj Mahal, India’s famed monument of love, has been obscured by toxic smog for nearly a week. Swiss group IQAir ranked New Delhi as the world’s most polluted city with air quality at a “hazardous” 489, although that was a significant improvement from Monday’s 1,081 reading. India’s weather department said a shift in the fog layer toward the northern state of Uttar Pradesh had helped improve visibility over Delhi.

Persons: Taj Organizations: Residents, Pollution Control, IQAir, New Delhi Locations: DELHI, India’s, Delhi, India, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, Swiss, New, Uttar Pradesh

☆ India’s capital introduces stricter anti-pollution measures as toxic smog hides Taj Mahal
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Views of the famed Taj Mahal in Agra, India, have been obscured by smog. New Delhi has a severe air quality level of 424, according to live rankings kept by Swiss group IQAir, the worst among global capitals. The city battles smog — a toxic mix of smoke and fog — every winter as cold air traps dust, emissions and smoke from illegal farm fires. Delhi flights faced delays, with tracking website Flightradar24 showing 88% of departures and 54% of arrivals were delayed as of Thursday afternoon due to smog. Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab, was rated the world’s most polluted city on Friday, in IQAir’s rankings.

Persons: Atishi, Taj, Pawan Sharma, stubble, Manish Swarup, ” Sahab Ram Organizations: DELHI, Delhi, Getty Locations: New Delhi, Agra, India, Amritsar . New Delhi, Swiss, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab’s Fazilka, Lahore, Pakistan’s

☆ Pakistan province calls for ‘climate diplomacy’ with India as record smog chokes major city
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Lex Harvey | Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —A smog-choked province in eastern Pakistan has issued a rare plea for cross-border collaboration with India, as major cities in both countries endure severe air pollution that risks the health of millions. “We are suffering in Lahore in a way due to the eastern wind corridor coming from India,” he said. Lahore, home to more than 14 million people, saw its air quality index surpass a record 1,900 in one part of the city on Saturday, according to IQAir, which tracks global air quality. Experts say India’s air pollution is so bad that smog could take years off the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Both India and Pakistan have tried to clamp down on the practice, but it is still widespread.

Persons: Raja Jahangir Anwar, ” Anwar, Punjab’s, ”, Arif Ali, Sakib Ali, Maryam Nawaz, Parveen Kumar Organizations: Pakistan CNN, Environment, CNN, Getty, Hindustan Times, World Health Organization, Experts, India’s Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, India, Punjab, Pakistan’s, Lahore, AFP, Delhi Meerut, Ghaziabad, Delhi –, Gurgaon, India’s Punjab, Haryana, Pakistan’s Punjab

☆ Thick smog chokes northern India and eastern Pakistan ahead of Diwali
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Lex Harvey | Noemi Cassanelli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Thick, toxic smog has once again enveloped northern India and eastern Pakistan just days before the start of Diwali, a Hindu festival typically celebrated with fireworks that each year sends air quality plummeting. Schoolgirls wearing masks ride a motorcycle as they leave school amid a rise in smog levels in Lahore, Pakistan on October 25, 2024. India’s air pollution has been found to be so bad, that experts have warned smog could take years off the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Delhi had banned the use and sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali, but the policy has been difficult to implement. Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times/Getty ImagesSome Indian cities have seen improvements in their air quality, according to government data, but progress has been slow.

Persons: Arif Ali, Sanchit Khanna, Arvind Yadav, ’ ” Jyoti Pande Lavakare Organizations: CNN, Getty, India’s, Hindustan Times, Air Locations: India, Pakistan, Delhi, Pakistani, Lahore, AFP, Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, New

☆ Living pollution-free is a ‘fundamental right,’ India’s top court says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, India— Living in a pollution-free environment is a fundamental right, India’s Supreme Court said Wednesday as it urged authorities to address deteriorating air quality in the north of the country. Swiss group IQAir rated Delhi the world’s most polluted city in its live rankings. The Supreme Court pulled up the governments of both states for taking “selective action” against stubble burning, saying penal provisions were not being properly implemented. Recognizing this, the court on Wednesday directed the federal government and the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and the western state of Rajasthan to submit compliance reports. In Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab, authorities have changed school timings and suspended outdoor activities because of pollution.

Persons: ”, Narendra, Marriyam Aurangzeb Organizations: Central Pollution Control Board, Supreme Locations: DELHI, India, Delhi, Swiss, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, South Asia, Lahore, Pakistan’s Punjab

Karnal, India CNN —The sun blisters the arid ground in Karnal, a district in India’s northern Haryana state, where empty houses stand testament to an acute problem that’s driving some residents to take unimaginable risks. Ankit Chaudhary says he paid an agent to help him take the 'donkey route' into the US but lost his money. His account matched that of another smuggling agent CNN spoke to in Haryana. But even if Trump wins the November election, smugglers CNN spoke to in India predict an eventual revival of the “donkey” route. “In my opinion the donkey route will never completely stop,” said the first agent.

Persons: ”, Ankit Chaudhary, ” Chaudhary, Narendra Modi, “ Viskit, ” Modi, “, Bharat, Chaudhary, Rajeev Kumar, Malkeet, ” Kumar, Young, Muzaffar Chishti, ” Chishti, ” Ankush Malik, Malik, They’ve, Chishti, ‘, ’, Frederic J . Brown, CNN's Ivan Watson he's, Trump, we’re, ” Trump, Kamala Harris, Gary Coronado, ’ Kumar, Kumar Organizations: India CNN, USA, CNN, US, Pew, India’s Ministry of Labour, Employment, Panama City, International Labour Organization, Migration, Institute, Biden, YouTube, Customs, Border Protection, Justice Department, Biden Administration, Border Patrol, Migrants, Getty, White, Democratic, Trump, Immigrants, Border, Los Angeles Times, El Locations: Karnal, India, India’s, Haryana, United States, Latin America, Mexico, El Salvador, Mator, Kaithal, New Delhi, Dubai, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Istanbul, Panama, San Salvador, Guatemala, New York, Qatar, Amsterdam, Springs , California, AFP, San Diego, South Asia, September’s

On a sweltering morning at a truck yard in the northern Indian state of Haryana, he climbed into the cab of his 10-wheel tractor-trailer, started the engine and rumbled slowly onto the highway. Mr. Khan, 49, is a driver for Chetak Logistics, a major Indian trucking company. He stopped every couple of hours at roadside tea stands and restaurants, devouring snacks and chatting with other truck drivers. “I drive in a very leisurely manner,” Mr. Khan said. What’s the hurry?”For those who earn their living navigating the unpredictable highways of India, Mr. Khan was voicing an unimpeachably sensible mantra.

Persons: Ragib Khan, Khan, Mr, “ Organizations: Chetak Logistics Locations: Haryana, Indian, Bengaluru, India

☆ Delhi heat wave: Indian capital breaks all-time heat record, as authorities impose water rationing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Esha Mitra | Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New Delhi CNN —India’s capital territory of Delhi sweltered to its highest-ever temperature of 49.9 degrees Celsius (121.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, as an oppressive heat wave forced authorities to impose water rationing. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said the new record was measured in the suburb of Mungeshpur, surpassing Delhi’s previous high of 49.2 degrees Celsius (120.5 degrees Fahrenheit), observed in May 2022. The temperature in the city of Churu in the state of Rajasthan soared to 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit). Sirsa, a city in the state of Haryana, saw thermometers reach 50.3 degrees Celsius (122.5 degrees Fahrenheit), Indian authorities said. A man drinks water at a roadside stall serving free drinking water to commuters in New Delhi on May 22.

Persons: Atishi Marlena Singh, Singh, ”, Anupam Nath, Manish Swarup Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Indian Meteorological Department, Workers, Delhi, IMD Locations: New Delhi, Delhi sweltered, Mungeshpur, Delhi, Haryana, Guwahati, India, Churu, Rajasthan

☆ Shah Rukh Khan: India’s ‘King of Bollywood’ is ‘doing well’ after heatstroke hospitalization reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Shah Rukh Khan’s manager has said India’s “King of Bollywood” is recovering well after reports he was hospitalized with heatstroke, as parts of the country swelter during a weeks-long general election. Maximum temperatures there climbed to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) this week. Also known as “King Khan,” the actor has near-demigod status in India, having starred in more than 90 movies and earned multiple accolades. He received India’s fourth-highest civilian honor in 2005, and a spot on Time magazine’s 100 most influential list in 2022. Experts say the climate crisis is only going to cause more frequent and longer heatwaves in the future, testing India’s ability to adapt.

Persons: CNN — Shah Rukh, “, Khan’s, Pooja Dadlani, Khan “, Om Prakash Jat, Gauri, King Khan, Khan Organizations: CNN, K D, Press Trust of India, KD Hospital, Indian Premier League cricket, Kolkata Knight Riders, India Meteorological Department, IMD, Authorities Locations: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Rural, India, Hyderabad, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Barmer

☆ India’s farmers are up in arms again. Will it hurt Modi’s reelection campaign?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Vinay Dwivedi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Narinder Nanu | AFP | Getty ImagesNEW DELHI — Farmers in India's Punjab state are raising the pitch of their ongoing protests, as the second phase of India's general elections starts Friday. Thousands of farmers continue to drum up support for their demands, foremost being a legal guarantee for minimum support prices for their produce. A Lokniti-CSDS survey earlier this month showed 59% of the respondents found the farmers' demands "genuine," while 16% deemed the protests a "conspiracy" against the government. CNBC did not immediately receive a response from India's Agriculture Ministry on queries pertaining to the farmers' demands. What India's farmers want

Persons: Narinder Nanu, Narendra Modi, Modi, Yogendra Yadav, Sanjay Kumar, Modi's, Kumar, it's, Jagjit Singh, Ayyakannu, Dallewal Organizations: AFP, Getty, DELHI — Farmers, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Modi's BJP, CNBC, India's Agriculture, Tamil Nadu, Morcha Locations: Amritsar, DELHI, India's Punjab, Punjab, Khanauri, Haryana, India, New Delhi, Delhi, Tamil, Varanasi, Tamil Nadu, Varansai, Uttar Pradesh, Samyukta

☆ Neeraj Chopra has gained unlikely stardom in India. If he wins another Olympic gold, he will be ‘treated like God’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —In a line-up of India’s sporting heroes, most of whom have gained celebrity status through cricket, Neeraj Chopra is an anomaly. Matthias Hangst/Getty ImagesPrior to Chopra, India had practically no history in track and field, winning most of its Olympic medals in field hockey and wrestling. But still, Neeraj Chopra is the best sportsperson. “My main focus is to stay healthy,” says Chopra, “but I’m not taking the pressure of winning a gold medal again. He is a moving billboard, one can say now.”And if he wins a second gold medal at the Olympics?

Persons: Neeraj Chopra, ” Chopra, – Chopra, ”, Chopra, It’s, Matthias Hangst, Norris Pritam, He’s, Fabrice Coffrini, “, Pritam, Kirill Kudryavtsev, he’s, I’m, I’ll, ’, –, Michael Steele, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, Ormax Media, Diamond League, Tokyo, “, ”, volleyball, Zurich Diamond League, Getty, Commonwealth Games, Paris Olympics, India Locations: India, Tokyo, Budapest, Khandra, Haryana, Panipat, AFP, Panchkula, Hungary

☆ Angry farmers once forced India’s hardline leader into a rare retreat. As the election looms, they’re back
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Modi promised “a fresh start,” agreeing to meet the farmers’ demands and work with them to move forward. Police fire teargas to disperse farmers marching towards New Delhi during a protest at the Haryana-Punjab state border on February 21, 2024. It was a massive victory for the farmers, who pushed the Indian leader into a rare and uncharacteristic climbdown. The abject poverty and debt faced by many of India’s farmers has forced some to take extreme measures. “About 86% of Indian farmers are dependent on the markets.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, “, ”, Narinder Nanu, Devinder Sharma, Gurpreet, Prakash Singh, Arjun Munda, Sharma, ” Sharma, ’ Modi, Arati Jerath, Jerath, ” X Organizations: CNN, Police, Getty, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rapid Action Force, Bloomberg, Agriculture, India Brand Equity Foundation, country’s Department of Commerce, Farmers, “ Farmers, Roads Locations: New Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, AFP, Uttar Pradesh, China, India, Brazil, BJP, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Shambhu, Patiala district

☆ Elon Musk's X suspends some India accounts after order from Modi government
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | In Charmainemariajacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's social media platform X said Thursday it will block certain accounts and posts from India in response to executive orders by the government. X said it did not agree with the order but failure to comply would subject the company to "potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment." Tens of thousands of Indian farmers — mostly from the northern state of Punjab — have been protesting since mid-February in renewed calls for better crop prices which were promised to them in 2021. In October, the Modi government warned Musk that X would have to comply to country's new and upcoming IT rules. However, it has written an appeal challenging the Indian government with accounts that are pending to be blocked, the company said.

Persons: Elon, X, Jack Dorsey —, Musk —, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Musk, Naman Tandon Organizations: Global Government Affairs, CNBC, country's Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Reuters, Twitter Locations: Punjab, Haryana, Ambala, India, New Delhi, Delhi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

☆ Why Farmers Are Marching Toward Delhi Again
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Alex Travelli | Suhasini Raj | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Once again, India’s capital is bracing itself for a siege. Not by a foreign army but by an army of Indian farmers, streaming toward New Delhi from nearby states to protest government policies. The farmers’ march has turned the city’s main points of entry into choke points, as the federal and local police go into overdrive: barricading highways by pouring concrete and stacking shipping containers to halt the advancing tractors. The authorities have blocked the social media accounts of some protest leaders and even used drones that were once billed as an agricultural innovation to drop tear-gas grenades on the demonstrators. The scenes hark back to North India’s biggest protests of 2020 and 2021, when hundreds of thousands of farmers, mostly from the states of Punjab and Haryana, forced the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to abandon three bills meant to overhaul India’s agricultural economy.

Persons: Narendra Modi Locations: Delhi, Punjab, Haryana

☆ Japan's TDK Corp to manufacture iPhone battery cells in India - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A man takes a video inside India's first Apple retail store during a media preview, a day ahead of its launch in Mumbai, India, April 17, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Japanese electronic parts maker TDK Corp (6762.T) will manufacture lithium ion (li-ion) battery cells for Apple (AAPL.O) iPhones in India, a minister said on Monday. loadingApple has been touting India as its next big growth driver as it looks to move some production away from China. Cells manufactured at the facility will be supplied to Apple's li-ion battery assembler Sunwoda Electronics, the report added. Apple and TDK Corp did not immediately reply to Reuters' request for comment.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, TDK, Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Manvi, Varun Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Rights, TDK Corp, Information Technology, Twitter, Business, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, iPhones, China, Wistron, Haryana, Manvi Pant, Bengaluru

☆ 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

☆ 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 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Indian farmers carry on burning stubble despite cost to health
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But for him, the only alternative to burning crop residues is to join the queue to hire machines to clear his field, which would cost him about $100 for his four-acre farm. More than 85% of Indian farmers are categorised as small, meaning that, like Sharma, they own about four acres or fewer. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has typically accounted for 30% to 40% of Delhi's October-November pollution, according to government air-quality monitoring agency SAFAR. POLITICAL WILL LACKINGAjay Singh Rana, a Haryana farm official, said the number of farms burning stubble in Karnal had dropped to 96 so far this year from 270 last year. ($1 = 83.1750 Indian rupees)Reporting by Manoj Kumar, additional reporting by Anushree Fadnavis; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anushree, Aashish Sharma, Sharma, SAFAR, Dharamvir Singh, Ajay Singh Rana, Sharma's, Mukhi Ram Sharma, Bajinder Pal Punia, Manoj Kumar, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Central Pollution Control, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Karnal district, Haryana, India, New Delhi, Sharma's, Karnal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Samalkha

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

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