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

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 ...

Air quality in Delhi and nearby areas on Tuesday remained in the "poor" category as winds speed dipped. The air quality in Delhi-NCR is expected to remain in the "moderate" and "poor" categories for the next two days. At 9:30 am, Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 218 as compared to Monday's AQI of 215. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 severe". The concentration of particlate matter (PM) 2.5 was at 96 while the PM10 level was recorded at 154. However, weather experts said, pollution levels are likely to enter the 'severe' zone again on Thursday due to a gradual dip in wind speed over the next two-three days. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (256), Greater Noida (218), Noida (227) recorded their air quality in the 'poor' category, while Gurgaon's AQI (138) remained in the 'moderate' category for the second consecutive day...

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said there is no need of the odd-even road rationing scheme now as the pollution levels have come down. The Delhi government brought the scheme into effect from November 4 as the city's air quality plunged into the "severe" category. The scheme concluded on November 15 with Kejriwal saying it could be extended if required. He had said that a final decision on extension will be taken on Monday. "The sky is clear now, there is no need of it (scheme)", he said in a press conference. Over 5,000 violators of the rule were fined with Rs 4,000 each during the scheme. The air quality in Delhi improved marginally on Monday but remained in the "poor" category for the second consecutive day. At 9 am on Monday, the air quality index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 207 against an AQI of 254 at the same time on Sunday. Read More

There seems to be no end to the woes of people residing in Delhi and other parts of north India. On Monday morning, Delhi air quality was in 'severe-plus emergency' category. SAFAR, the government-run air quality monitoring and weather forecasting agency, said Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was 708 at 6:30 am, which is 14 times the safe level of 0-50.. Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad also saw their air quality in the severe-plus emergency overall category. NASA satellite imagery showed vast swathes of the northern plains, covering Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, blanketed under a smoky haze. Weather experts said any significant improvement in the situation is highly unlikely unless there is rainfall, which may occur on November 7 and 8 To tackle this, the odd-even scheme kick started today, with only even-numbered non-transport vehicles allowed on Delhi roads on the first day of the exercise. The impact of the scheme remains to be seen. The third...