Delhi Air Pollution: The city has been enveloped with dust and haze for days now
As air pollution rose to staggering levels in Delhi, a thick cover of haze, dust and winds have enveloped the city for the fourth consecutive day today. Visibility in the national capital has also remained poor with the capital city's citizens being given warnings of severe health risks of the outside environment and have been asked to stay indoors.
The drastic dip in the air quality has prompted many to raise questions over the efficacy of the steps that the government is taking to combat pollution.
Central Pollution Control Board or CPCB has asked for all construction activity to be stopped temporarily in the national capital region or NCR as Delhi and its neighbouring townships of Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.
Here are the highlights on the weather in Delhi:
The Delhi High Court gave an urgent hearing to plea on the "emergency-like air pollution situation" in the national capital and areas surrounding it and sought the response of the Delhi government and state pollution control committee on the measures taken to overcome it.
A vacation bench comprising justices Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal and C Hari Shankar, which heard the matter late in the evening, issued notices to the Delhi government and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) seeking their responses by July 25, the next date of hearing.
The bench observed that since the petitioner has not filed any application seeking interim relief, it cannot "do anything except issuing a notice".
The plea, which has been filed in wake of severe air pollution that has engulfed the national capital for the last couple of days, has also sought implementation of the odd-even scheme of using the vehicles.
Lodhi Road, Ridge, Ayanagar and Palam recorded minimum temperatures of 32.8 degrees Celsius, 32.3 degrees Celsius, 32.4 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The maximum temperature in Lodhi Road settled at 40 degrees Celsius, 41.3 degrees Celsius in Ridge, 40.8 degrees Celsius in Ayanagar, 41.2 degrees Celsius in Palam.
Delhi-NCR areas have been reeling under a haze of dust for the last few days owing to dust-laden winds.
Lt Governor Anil Baijal held a meeting on air pollution on Thursday
Cloud Of Dust Hangs Over Delhi, Construction Activities HaltedA cloud of dust hung over vast swathes of north Indian plains for the third day today, prompting authorities to suspend civil construction works in Delhi and Haryana as part of emergency measures to improve air quality, besides affecting flight services at Chandigarh airport." itemprop="description
Environment minister Dr Harsh Vardhan ays dust storm came from Rajasthan
Amid deteriorating air quality in Delhi, Environment minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that pollution levels will go down in one or two days, according to weather department officials. He also said that PM10 levels will go down and likely be normal in one or two days as well.
Delhi dust storm captured by Japanese geostationary satellite Himawari-8