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Even as India's capital city scrambles to tackle its epic air pollution problems , there seems to be no end to the woes of people residing in Delhi and its adjoining areas. On Monday morning, Delhi air quality was in 'severe-plus emergency' category. SAFAR, the government-run monitoring agency, said Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was 708 at 6:30 am. Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad too recorded severe-plus emergency overall air quality. An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe. Above 500 is severe-plus emergency category. The AQI of four places in and around Delhi has been provided in the table given below .

With Delhi 's air quality has improved to "very poor", a Supreme Court-appointed environment body on Thursday ordered lifting of a ban on entry of trucks and on construction activities in the city. The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) also rolled back the four-time hike in parking fees. EPCA member and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) researcher Usman Naseem told IANS while the restrictions imposed since last week have been lifted, the ban on diesel generator sets would continue. ALSO READ: Delhi's smog and climate change are separate environmental crises On Wednesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital had improved to "very poor" from "beyond severe" category. At 11 a.m. on Thursday, Delhi's AQI was 345, which falls under the "very poor" category. Also, the average PM 2.5, or particles with a diameter less than 2.5mm, in Delhi was 345 units -- 14 times the safe limit...

From the beginning of COP23, the issue of loss and damage has cast a shadow over proceedings as developing countries argue for pre-2020 actions to be included. At present, a much more visible gloom hangs over Delhi – air pollution. Visibility has plummeted, a health emergency has been declared, and schools have been shut down. Various regional governments are quarrelling with each other, and with central government agencies. But the solutions seem elusive. The problem of Delhi’s air pollution has an obvious – but expensive – fix. Up to 90% of the pollution in northern India is caused by farmers burning stubble to clear fields in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. The Indian government had a plan to deal with the issue, but it fell apart as the states concerned couldn’t agree on a way to distribute the Rs 30 billion ($460 million) in costs. The government is already spending a huge amount to deal with the costs of climate change adaptation. According to a stu...

The worsening air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) has spawned panic-stricken reactions, with the Delhi government reaching out to neighbouring states and considering restrictions on plying of vehicles in the city and shutting down schools. Delhi’s air quality index has breached the ‘severe’ category with particulate matter (PM 2.5) crossing 450 microgram per cubic metre level. After the Delhi government decided to shut down schools, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to his counterparts in Punjab and Haryana seeking their cooperation in tackling air pollution. “ One of the main reasons for this poor quality of air in Delhi during this part of the year is the burning of (crop) stubble in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. Farmers are helpless in the absence of economically viable alternatives; they are forced to burn stubble. The government has failed to provide them economically viable solutions,” Kejriwal said in letters to Manohar Lal Khattar a...