Heena Sharma Blog

  Delhi's air quality remained in the 'poor' category on Friday, as per System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted a maximum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 3 degrees Celsius in the national capital today. The overall air quality of the national capital was recorded at 235 at around 8:15 am while the AQI in various parts of the city remained in the 'poor' category. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research's (SAFAR) prediction yesterday, cold day conditions are likely to slow down after that. Better ventilation conditions are likely to continue for the next two days and likely to continue for the next two days and likely to decrease thereafter, as per SAFAR. Read More

The Covid-19 lockdown-led reduction in air pollution levels across five Indian cities in India, including Delhi and Mumbai, may have prevented about 630 premature deaths, and saved $690 million in health costs in the country, according to a new study. Scientists, including those from the University of Surrey in the UK, assessed the levels of harmful fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from vehicles and other sources in five Indian cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad -- since the beginning of the lockdown period. The study, published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society, compared these lockdown PM2.5 figures from 25 March up until 11 May, with those from similar periods of the preceding five years, and found that the measure reduced pollution levels in all these places. According to the scientists, during this period, the levels of these harmful air pollutants reduced by 10 per cent in Mumbai, and by up to 54 per cent in Delhi. Read More

Air pollution is not a seasonal issue anymore. And, the World Health Organization says, unlike what we believe, air quality indoors could sometimes be worse than outdoors. Most air purifiers do help minimise exposure to polluted air, at least indoors, but not all of them provide all-season utility. That is one gap that the Dyson Pure Hot + Cool seeks to plug. Designed by British home appliances manufacturer Dyson , the Pure Hot + Cool claims to be one-of-its kind air purifier promising all-season use: It doubles up as a fan and a hot air blower while simultaneously removing pollutants and harmful gases in the air. These promises give this device an air of versatility, especially for cities that witness varied weather conditions — Delhi, for instance. But does the Dyson Pure Hot + Cool’s all-season utility justify its price tag of Rs 54,900? Let’s find out: Design To those unaware of Dyson’s design philosophy, the Pure Hot + Cool might not look like an air purifier, thanks ...

About 87 per cent of Indian drivers and vehicle owners would buy an electric vehicle (EV), if that helped reduce air pollution, according to a new survey. Only 12 per cent would switch to EVs to avoid using petrol and diesel, according to the survey commissioned by Climate Trends, a Bengaluru-based nonprofit, which polled more than 2,000 Indian drivers, owners and those who planned to buy a car. In 2017, India sold about 900,000 EVs, 4 per cent of the volume of diesel and petrol vehicles sold. India, however, sold less than a million electric vehicles–4 per cent of IC engine vehicles sold–in 2017, according to the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), an EV manufacturer’s body. Of these, more than 93 per cent were electric three-wheelers and 6 cent twottwo-wheelers. Read our full coverage on air pollution in India

This is the first time data on air pollution and lifespan has been studied together in order to examine the global variations to find out how they affect the overall life expectancy Health News : Ambient air pollution shortens an average Indian's life by over 1.5 years, say scientists who suggest that better air quality could lead to a significant extension of human lifespan around the world. Researchers said that if PM2.5 concentrations worldwide were limited to the World Health Organization's (WHO) air quality guideline concentration of 10 microgrammes per square cubic metre, the global life expectancy would be on average 0.59 year longer. The benefit of reaching the stringent target would be especially large in countries with the highest current levels of pollution, with approximately 0.81.4 years of additional survival in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China. This is the first time data on air pollution and lifespan has been studied...