Why the government’s plan to tackle air pollution needs an urgent review
Study finds that four years on, the Graded Response Action Plan has done nothing to clean up the air in the National Capital Region.
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Editor's note: It is that time of the year when large parts of North India, specifically the National Capital Region, or NCR, get enveloped by a thick blanket of smog and winter quickly loses its charm to become life-threatening instead, thanks to air pollution. The most recent reminder of this fact came the morning after Diwali night when the Air Quality Index, or AQI, in Delhi hit the ceiling in the “severe” category at multiple monitoring stations across the city. This was an indication that the air quality in many parts of the national capital was hazardous for human health. But it was true not only for Delhi; air quality had worsened in the wider NCR. The AQI report of the day after Diwali, which reflects average data for the previous 24 hours, shows air pollution in multiple important cities in the NCR was in the “severe” category. These are Noida, Gurugram, Greater Noida and Delhi. It is worth noting here that the AQI report for the previous day shows all cities, except Noida, recorded “very poor” air quality. Simply put, existing …
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