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New Delhi, Oct 23: India has climbed to the ninth spot globally in total forest area while retaining its third rank in annual forest area gain, according to a new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The Environment Ministry said the achievement reflects the success of India's large-scale afforestation initiatives and community-led forest protection efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav described the rise from t ...Read More >
Around 20 million people in India's capital woke up on Wednesday breathing the most polluted air of any major city in the world, a day after celebrations for the Diwali festival, during which revelers typically set off fireworks and firecrackers. As of Wednesday, New Delhi's PM 2.5 concentration - a measure of pollutants in the air - was more than 40 times the World Health Organization's annualized guideline level, according to Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir. New Delhi grapples wit ...Read More >
The results have also cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of 'green firecrackers', which were introduced to reduce pollution. Despite a sharp 77.5% drop in stubble burning this year, Delhi's air quality plummeted to its worst post-Diwali level in five years on Tuesday morning. The city woke up on Tuesday to a thick blanket of smog, with PM2.5 levels averaging 488 micrograms per cubic metre, nearly 100 times higher than the World Health Organization's safe limit. On Diwali night, readings t ...Read More >
New Delhi: On Diwali and the day after, the capital recorded its worst PM2.5 levels of the year since Jan, analysis shows. Even on Wednesday, two days after the festival, some of its areas continued to choke on exponentially high particulate pollution. According to a study by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the city had an average PM2.5 concentration of 228 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) on Diwali and 241 the next day. It was only on four days in Jan this year that PM2.5 ...Read More >
Gurgaon: The city's air quality showed a marked improvement on Wednesday, falling to 281 (poor) from 370 (very poor) a day earlier, thanks to stronger northwesterly winds that helped disperse pollutants lingering in the airshed since Diwali.According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the improvement was driven by a temporary increase in wind speed, which helped clear the haze that blanketed the city after the festival that saw people burst crackers across the city much beyond the two-hou ...Read More >
Gurgaon: Farm fires have not peaked, yet cities in Haryana were India's main pollution hotspot over the last seven days, according to an analysis by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).Between Oct 13 and 21, multiple Haryana cities, including Jind, Gurgaon, Dharuhera, Bahadurgarh, Rohtak and Narnaul repeatedly featured in India's most polluted top 10, which is based on data compiled by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).Pollution levels peaked Oct 21, the day after Diwali, whe ...Read More >
Under Stage II of GRAP, several curbs and intensified actions include daily mechanical or vacuum sweeping and water sprinkling on identified roads, preferably before peak traffic hours, to control dust. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR as the city's air quality slipped into the "very poor" category, with the AQI crossing 300 mark. The move came after the Sub-Committee on GRAP on Saturday reviewed th ...Read More >
12 Lucknow: The bursting of firecrackers during Diwali celebrations engulfed Lucknow in toxic air. During the live monitoring of air pollution levels, the PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations in the city's air reached the hazardous level of 500 micrograms per cubic meter.The city's air quality deteriorated from 'moderate' to 'severe' during Diwali night and post-Diwali celebrations on Tuesday. According to the live air quality monitoring stations' data available on the Central Pollution Control Board ...Read More >
Nagpur: The city's air quality dipped sharply during Diwali celebrations this year, with several localities slipping into the 'very poor' to 'severe' pollution zones between 8pm and 3am on Monday and Tuesday nights, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).Data from Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) revealed that particulate matter concentrations -- both PM2.5 and PM10 -- spiked dramatically in several areas. Ram Nagar and Mahal were the most affected, re ...Read More >
Delhi's air quality nosedived on Monday (October 20, 2025), the Deepavali afternoon, as pollution levels at 31 out of 38 monitoring stations redlined at 'very poor', and 'severe' at three stations. According to the SAMEER app by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi recorded an overall AQI of 334 at noon, compared to 339 at 9 a.m. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta appeals for green crackers as AQI crosses 300 Thirty-one monitoring stations reported air quality in the 'very poor' category with ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two days after Diwali, the air in Delhi and its neighbouring cities turned dangerously toxic, with the national capital recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 353, placing it firmly in the 'Very Poor' category. According to the latest Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin issued at 4 p.m. on Wednesday (October 22), Delhi's air was laden with PM2.5 particles -- the most harmful pollutant for human lungs. The situation was even more alarming in satel ...Read More >
Delhi residents were confused Tuesday as air quality readings varied drastically between platforms. While the Central Pollution Control Board reported AQI below 400, international apps like IQAir showed levels exceeding 2,000 in some areas. This significant discrepancy stemmed from the use of different measurement scales. Many Delhi residents were puzzled on Tuesday when the city's air quality index (AQI) showed wildly different numbers across platforms. While the Central Pollution Control Boar ...Read More >
Delhi AQI: A thick layer of smog covered Delhi on Tuesday morning, just a day after Diwali celebrations filled the sky with fireworks. The city woke up to an acrid haze, reduced visibility and burning eyes, as air pollution levels reached hazardous levels. The national capital topped the list of the world's most polluted major cities, with residents struggling to breathe even indoors. While Swiss-based monitoring agency IQAir reported Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) at a shocking 1,121, India's ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a significant milestone for environmental conservation efforts, India has secured the ninth rank globally in forest area in 2025 -- up from the 10th position in 2020, said Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday. The country has also retained its third position in annual forest area gain, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025 released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in B ...Read More >
Kolkata, Oct 22 (PTI) The air quality in Kolkata and in the twin city of Howrah was "poor" on Wednesday morning, an official said. The air quality index (AQI) was 200 (PM 2.5) at 9 am at the air monitoring station at Jadavpur and 141 (PM 2.5) at Ballygunge, an official of West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) said. At Rabindra Bharati University in the Sinthi area the AQI was 142, while it was 165 at New Town, the satellite township near Kolkata. While the AQI was 150 at Fort William at ...Read More >
Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the 'very poor' category, with a reading of 335 at 9 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Delhi on Wednesday recorded a minimum temperature of 21.8 degrees Celsius, 3.4 notches above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Relative humidity was 91 per cent at 8.30 am. The IMD has forecast mist haze in the morning hours and mainly clear skies during the rest of the day. The maximum temperature is expect ...Read More >
NEW DELHI - Air pollution in India's capital has surged to hazardous levels, making New Delhi the most polluted major city in the world, according to Swiss-based air quality monitor IQAir. The spike follows Diwali festivities, during which fireworks and firecrackers contributed heavily to the smog. Iconic sites such as the India Gate War Memorial and Akshardham Temple were shrouded in thick haze, visible in drone imagery showing a murky skyline. While India's Supreme Court recently allowed the ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 22 (ANI): A thick layer of smog blanketed the Bandra area of Mumbai on Wednesday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 300 in the 'Poor' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).Meanwhile, in the national capital, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has implemented Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect, from Sunday, to tackle rising pollution levels.Delhi's Air Quality In ...Read More >
NEW DELHI -- Thick smog blanketed India's capital Tuesday, a day after millions celebrated the Hindu festival of Diwali with fireworks that sent air pollution soaring to hazardous levels. Revelers in New Delhi burst firecrackers late into Monday night, filling the air with smoke and fine particles that mixed with seasonal pollution and stagnant weather conditions. By Tuesday morning, the city's Air Quality Index had climbed above 350 in several neighborhoods, a level considered "severe" and dan ...Read More >
Kolkata: The air quality of the city on Diwali day, which started off as 'satisfactory' at almost all the 14 monitoring stations in the morning, worsened drastically to 'poor' and 'very poor' by 9 pm owing to relentless bursting of fireworks. Though there were some "exceptional" areas, like College Street, which maintained relatively clean air, most of the city experienced hazardous conditions, underscoring the need for cleaner celebration practices and stronger pollution control measures. The w ...Read More >
New Delhi: Firecracker emissions may have contributed between 30% and 40% to the city's pollution on Diwali, with calm conditions primarily worsening the impact and delaying recovery, say experts. According to Gufran Beig, founder of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) and chair professor at National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), a preliminary visual analysis of data indicates that pollution levels rose steeply between 9 pm on Monday and 5 am on Tuesday, wh ...Read More >
New Delhi: In just an hour of firecracker frenzy -- between 9pm and 10pm on Diwali -- the PM2.5 concentration at Nehru Nagar in Lajpat Nagar surged from 679 micrograms per cubic metre to a staggering 1,763µg/m³. This made the southeast Delhi location the most polluted area in the city on Monday night.The peak level was over 29 times the daily national ambient air quality standard of 60 µg/m³ and 118 times World Health Organisation's daily safe guideline. A similar pattern of crackers burst in cl ...Read More >
NOIDA: A day after Diwali, the air in Gautam Budh Nagar continued to remain toxic, showing no significant improvement despite a visible decline in festive fireworks. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI on Tuesday stood at 320 in Noida and 282 in Greater Noida. Data from the past two days revealed little change - Noida's AQI was 325 on Monday and 320 on Sunday, while Greater Noida recorded 282 and 287, respectively. The district's air had already turned foul even bef ...Read More >
Noida: With the ban on firecrackers lifted for the first time in five years, Delhi-NCR experienced a sharp surge in pollution levels this Diwali, with both Noida and Ghaziabad recording 'very poor' air quality. This was also the worst Diwali AQI to be recorded in the two cities in the last three years, even though pollution levels didn't worsen after the festival.Experts said moderate winds of around 10 km per hour and warmer afternoons -- maximum temperature was recorded around 33 degrees Celsi ...Read More >
Noida: The city's 7x sectors woke up to a toxic haze after Diwali, with air quality plunging to alarming levels as residents flouted firecracker restrictions late into the night. Data from the Sector 116 monitoring station, which covers the 7x sectors, revealed that AQI was lodged in the "very poor" category through the day -- making the area the city's most polluted.Between 9am on Monday and 9am on Tuesday, AQI readings from Sector 116 hovered between 356 and 373, never leaving the 'very poor' ...Read More >
Bathinda: Amidst the ongoing debate over the contribution of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana to the worsening air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) at the onset of winter, Climate Trends, a research-based consultancy, has analysed centrally sourced data about the impact of stubble burning on Delhi's PM2.5. This comparative analysis covers Oct 2024 versus Oct 2025.The data underscores that reducing farm fires alone can yield immediate benefits, but structural air quality gains re ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Air quality in the Capital police station area in the city was the worst post the bursting of crackers during Diwali on Monday night, according to data from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB). Its air quality index (354) was 354, which corresponds to 'very poor'.At IRC Village in Nayapalli, Palasuni and Unit VIII, the prominent pollutant, particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) exceeded the permissible limits to a huge extent between 7 pm and 10 pm. The permissible limit of PM2 ...Read More >
Amitabh Kant has said the top court prioritised the right to burn crackers over the right to live New Delhi: Amitabh Kant, Sherpa of the 2023 G20 Summit in India and former CEO of Centre's think tank NITI Aayog, has said Delhi's air quality "lies in shambles" and only "ruthless and sustained execution" of pollution control can save Delhi from "health and environmental catastrophe". He also said the Supreme Court prioritised the "right to burn crackers over the right to live and breathe". The ...Read More >
India's capital New Delhi was shrouded in a thick, toxic haze on Monday as air pollution levels soared to more than 16 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum. New Delhi and its sprawling metropolitan region -- home to more than 30 million people -- are regularly ranked among the world's most polluted capitals, with acrid smog blanketing the skyline each winter. Cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, creating a deadly mix of emissions from crop burning, factor ...Read More >
PTC Web Desk: Delhi woke up to severe air pollution on Tuesday, a day after Diwali, as relentless bursting of firecrackers ignored the Supreme Court-mandated time slots. The air quality index (AQI) reached 451 at 7 am, nearly twice the national safe limit, as toxic haze enveloped the city. On Diwali night, the AQI had already dipped into the 'very poor' category, while satellite cities Noida and Gurgaon recorded AQI levels of 407 and 402, respectively. Monitoring stations across Delhi reported ...Read More >
Stay updated with the latest Environment news, articles, and insights from trusted sources. Explore in-depth coverage and expert analysis on Environment topics.