The city was swept by a cold wave on Thursday as well as the temperature dropped sharply to 3.4 degrees Celsius from 8.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Vehicle emissions account for around 40 percent of the city’s air pollution.
The CAQM had on Friday said the ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR will continue, with some exceptions, till further orders.
However, the air quality in Delhi still remains in the "very poor" category. According to the Ministry of Earth Science's SAFAR system, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 339 at 9 am on December 17.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of a report filed by the commission which informed it that a decision to lift the ban on certain industries has been taken.
E-rickshaws Permits: SC junks Bajaj Auto plea, says Delhi residents badly affected by air pollution.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecast agency SAFAR said moderate wind speed and partly cloudy conditions are likely to keep air quality within the "lower" end of the "very poor" for the next two days.
The city’s 24-hour air quality index (AQI) stood at 361 on Thursday.
The study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), conducted between 2018 and 2020 revealed that rich and poor households were equally affected.
The reply to the RTI application filed by social activist Amit Gupta revealed that the pollution control body has so far spent Rs 467.97 crore from a green fund set up in 2008 on several projects to reduce air pollution levels.
Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) read 255, an improvement from 322 on December 6.
After carrying out a surprise inspection of Central Vista, Gopal Rai has ordered DPCC to issue two separate notices to the concerned agency CPWD – one, for ignoring the ban which was imposed to reduce pollution in the city and two, for violating anti-dust guidelines while construction is in full swing.
The 30-day average of the National Capital's air quality index (AQI) stood at 376. It was 328 in 2020, 312 in 2019, 335 in 2018, 361 in 2017, 374 in 2016, and 358 in 2015, according to the CPCB.
The Delhi government has, however, reportedly banned the entry of petrol and diesel trucks till December 3, although, CNG and electric trucks carrying non-essential items from other states can enter the national capital from November 26.
During winter, excessive emitters from all sectors must be checked, but air pollution action must continue throughout the year for sound results, she says; GRAP without long term action cannot be fully implemented.
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot also said that the transport department will empanel manufacturers of electric kits for retrofitting of conventional internal combustion engines to electric ones.
New Delhi, a city of 20 million, is one of the world’s most polluted cities. Air quality often hits hazardous levels during the winter, when the burning of crop residue in neighboring states coincides with lower temperatures that trap smoke. The smoke travels to New Delhi, obscuring the sky.
The Delhi government has also decided to extend work-from-home for its employees till Sunday.
Blanket ban on construction activities, without identifying and excluding the ones which do not contribute towards air pollution is "irrational, arbitrary and whimsical”, said the petition filed by National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour.
The minimum temperature in the capital dropped to 9.6 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal and the lowest this season so far.
Among the many Indian cities gasping for breath, New Delhi tops the list every year. The crisis deepens particularly in the winter when the burning of crop residues in neighboring states coincides with cooler temperatures that trap deadly smoke. That smoke travels to New Delhi, leading to a surge in pollution in the city of more than 20 million people and exacerbating what is already a public health crisis.
The Delhi government has informed the Supreme Court that it is ready to take steps like complete lockdown to control air pollution but such a step would be meaningful if it is implemented across the NCR areas in neighbouring states.
The minister also said that the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign (to curb vehicle pollution) which ends on November 18 will be extended by 15 days - Second phase from November 19 to December 3 .
Talking to reporters, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill accused both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of indulging in a blame game and wasting the taxpayers’ money on "hollow" advertisements.
Like previous years, makers are looking for a silver lining as sales numbers of this seasonal product spikes after Diwali and has now touched almost Rs 500 crore market size, in which the Delhi NCR and the Northern region contributes around three-fourths of the sales.