Pollution

Delhi sees 76% surge in PUC certificates ahead of 'No PUC, No Fuel' rule

The number of Pollution Under Control certificates issued in Delhi rose by nearly 76 per cent on December 17, a day before the 'No PUCC, No Fuel' rule came into force in the national capital, official data shows. Earlier this week, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced that vehicles without a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate will not be provided fuel at petrol pumps in the city from Thursday. A petrol pump owner said queues outside PUC centres swelled on Wednesday as motorists rushed to obtain certificates. "People were getting the certificates issued to avoid fines," he said. There are around 400 petrol pumps in Delhi, all of which have PUC centres. According to official data, 31,197 PUC certificates were issued on December 17, compared to 17,732 on December 16. This marked an increase of 13,465 certificates, or a 75.9 per cent rise within 24 hours. In the days preceding December 17, PUC issuance had remained largely stable, ranging between 16,

Ban demolition work in NCR from Oct to Dec: Union Minister Bhupender Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday said that demolition work should be prohibited in the National Capital Region (NCR) during the peak pollution period, i.e., October to December. Chairing a high-level meeting to review action plans of the municipal bodies of Delhi and Sonepat, he also said that construction and demolition work should not be allowed in the region until construction and demolition waste handling and processing infrastructure is created and identified within a 10 km radius of the site. The minister asked all agencies to work in mission mode to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in the air quality index over the next one year. Stressing the importance of a "Whole-of-Government" and "Whole-of-Society" approach to effectively address air pollution, he said there is a need to improve the "global image of the national capital". He directed the removal of illegal parking and encroachments from 62 identified traffic congestion hotspots in Delhi. "A detail

India cannot afford to pollute its way to prosperity, says Congress

Asserting that India simply cannot afford to pollute its way to prosperity, the Congress on Monday said increased pollution need not and must not be the price the people are compelled to pay for faster growth. The opposition party also stressed that the Graded Response Action Plans (GRAPs) cannot remain the dominant focus of clean-air action. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said these plans are essentially reactive, with the emphasis being on crisis management and not crisis avoidance. "We need tough multi-sectoral actions with scale and speed round the year and not just in the winter October-December months," Ramesh said. On December 9, 2025, the Modi Government declared in the Rajya Sabha that "there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution", he said. "This is the second time that it has shown shocking insensitivity by denying that air polluti

Claims vs reality: Dust doesn't settle on Mumbai's clean-air drive

- On paper, machines are deployed daily but residents, workers and vendors say dust still hangs heavy in the air

A binding national plan is urgently needed to tackle air pollution

The key message from this 10-year study is that despite policy intervention and technological improvement, India's major cities continue to suffer major air-quality challenges

Delhi air pollution protests: 15 held for pepper spray use, Hidma slogans

The protests came amid worsening air quality in the national capital, which has been covered in haze and grey skies for almost a month

Mercury pollution in marine mammals continues to rise, finds new study

Large amounts of mercury from past coal burning, industry and mining are already present in the oceans

Climate adaptation explained: What it means and why it is essential

The UN has warned that the world has missed its target to keep global warming in line with 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

Explained: What breathing air at AQI 400 does to your lungs, heart and brain

When the Air Quality Index crosses 400, the air turns into a slow poison. You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. But every breath starts working against your body.

Delhi AQI: When Delhi’s citizens took to the streets for clean air and were detained | Air pollution

As Delhi’s toxic air chokes millions, hundreds gathered at India Gate demanding what should be a basic human right: clean air.

7 in 10 Delhi residents lack confidence in govt's ability to enforce Grap

Many respondents claim that government readings are often lower than private air-quality monitors, leading to delayed or inadequate implementation of GRAP measures

NGT orders to ensure installation of OCEMS in GPIs in UP, Bihar, Delhi

The National Green Tribunal has directed the CPCB and SPCBs to ensure the installation of Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems in Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs).

Satellite hunt for 'superpollutant' receives $100 million new funding

The Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative, being announced Thursday as world leaders gather in Brazil for a summit ahead of the COP30 climate conference, aims to maintain an increasing focus on methane

OPD flooded with patients: Delhi doctors sound alarm over rising pollution

According to Doctors, many people are currently suffering from various respiratory conditions, including throat irritation, rhinitis, a runny nose, itchy eyes, and severe chest congestion

Several air monitoring stations not working: SC seeks CAQM report

The CAQM's lawyer said that the Central Pollution Control Board has the data and will file the relevant report, while CAQM has already submitted one on preventive actions

Delhi govt steps up pollution drive; Sirsa reviews measures at Anand Vihar

The Delhi government has stepped up its winter action plan to tackle pollution across the city, with enhanced monitoring and on-ground action at 13 identified pollution hotspots. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Saturday inspected the Anand Vihar area, one of the city's most polluted zones, to review ongoing dust control, traffic management and road repair measures, an official statement said. Sirsa also visited the Delhi Pollution Control Committee's (DPCC) Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station near the Anand Vihar Metro Station. During the inspection, he directed officials to deploy additional traffic personnel to decongest roads, ensure buses halt only at designated bays, and operate movable anti-smog guns and mist sprayers during peak hours. The minister took note of a long-pending patch of unpaved road at the entrance of the Anand Vihar bus terminal, which, he said, had been neglected for years due to the presence of trees. Calling it "a classic examp

Delhi to bar entry of non-BS-VI compliant vehicles registered outside city

All commercial goods vehicles registered outside Delhi that are not BS-VI compliant will be prohibited from entering the national capital from November 1, in line with the CAQM's directions. The BS-VI compliant vehicles meet stricter emission standards are expected to curtail pollution. A public notice issued by the transport department said BS-IV commercial goods vehicles will be permitted to enter Delhi only for a limited period, up to October 31, 2026, as a transitional measure. There will, however, be no restrictions on the entry of commercial goods vehicles registered in Delhi, BS-VI compliant diesel vehicles, BS-IV compliant diesel vehicles till October 31, 2026, or those running on CNG, LNG, or electricity. The notice added that restrictions under various stages of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on commercial goods vehicles will continue to apply during the period a particular stage is in force. In a meeting held on October 17, Commission for Air Quality Management

Humans have internal lunar clock but light pollution is disrupting it

Just as the circadian rhythm keeps time with the 24-hour rotation of the Earth, many organisms also track the slower rhythm of the Moon

Uttarakhand to impose green tax on 'out-of-state' vehicles from Dec

Green tax will be collected from vehicles coming to Uttarakhand from outside states from December, officials said. According to officials, the decision aims at controlling pollution, protecting the environment, and promoting cleanliness in the state. The collection of this tax will begin in December. State Additional Transport Commissioner Sanat Kumar Singh said Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed along the state's borders will capture the registration numbers of incoming vehicles. He said 16 cameras were already installed in the border areas, and their number has now been increased to 37. The transport department has appointed a vendor company to collect the green tax, Singh said. The data captured by the cameras will be sent to the vendor through software, which will then separate information related to Uttarakhand-registered, government, and two-wheeler vehicles, and send them to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) database, he added. He infor

Delhi AQI remains 'very poor' 2 days after Diwali, other metros fare better

Delhi's AQI was recorded at 335 as of 9 am on Wednesday, placing it in the 'very poor' zone, according to the data by Central Pollution Control Board