Delhi air ‘severe plus’; North India reels under air pollution
Delhi’s air quality has been going from bad to worse since Diwali, and the air quality index plummeted to hit ‘severe plus’ category, at 457 on the evening of November 17th. At 8 am on Monday, November 18th, data from the Central Pollution Control Board pointed to a daily average AQI of 484. After days of hovering at severe levels (AQI of 400-450) it crossed the threshold, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management to invoke implementation of Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, across the National Capital Region.
Under the current measures in effect, there is a ban on any non-essential truck traffic entering Delhi. Medium-sized, heavy goods vehicles (BS-IV or below) powered by diesel are prohibited, with the exception of those transporting necessities. Authorities have also discontinued physical classes for all school students, except those in classes 10 and 12. There is a temporary halt on all construction activity for public projects.
But while much of public attention is focussed on Delhi and its surrounding regions, toxic air has engulfed much of north India. Chandigarh showed alarming air pollution levels on November 14th, with an air quality index (AQI) of 427 at 12 noon, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. It was in the ‘severe’ category for the first time this season and was worse than Delhi, which recorded its AQI of 424 at 12 noon on that date, as per the data. Haryana and Punjab recorded ‘very poor’ and ‘poor’ AQI in many parts.
Air pollution in Gurgaon is mainly due to public, open waste burning. Residents say that in spite of complaining to the pollution control board, waste burning continues, mainly due to shopkeepers and sanitation workers. The Urban Local Bodies (ULB) department report that there is insufficient action against municipal solid waste (MSW) burning, violating the state’s comprehensive air quality management system (CAQMS).
The focus seems to be on the transportation, not disposal of waste. The authorities hire contractors and agencies that get paid according to the weight of the waste. Another reason behind the burning is illegal disposal of the factory or hazardous waste.
Source: Scroll.in, Business Standard, Deccan Herald, The New Indian Express
Delhi’s free buses boost mobility: Report
Five years since the launch of the free bus scheme in Delhi, women report that the ‘pink ticket’ scheme has increased their mobility, saving transport costs, impacting their health and savings. But many of them feel unsafe, reporting that they get insulted by men for travelling free.
A Greenpeace India report, ‘Riding the Justice Route: Free Bus Travel as a Step Towards Gender — Just Public Transport in Delhi’ released by the non-profit environmental campaign organisation, evaluated the transformative impact of the scheme launched in October 2019. Women can travel free in all AC and non-AC buses operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation and Delhi Integrated Multimodal Transport System through ‘pink ticket,’ a single-journey free travel pass. The DTC issued over 100 crore pink tickets by 2024.
The report showed that a quarter of women have started regular bus travel, while about 15% women have just started taking bus journeys. About 75% of women experienced a drop in monthly transport costs, even as many spend less than Rs 1,000, while the savings are redirected — 54% to household expenses and 50% to emergency funds.
The positive reactions are from 88% of women, who believe that it has enhanced bus usage, while 87% appreciate the reduced need to walk long distances. The main challenges are that 14% of low-income women report facing insults from male passengers, while 77% of women feel unsafe after 5 pm due to poor lighting and frequency.
Source: The New Indian Express
Read More: Who benefits from the free bus for women scheme?
SSF reduces road accidents by 45%
The Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF), Punjab Police’s highway safety unit, has reduced road accident fatalities by 45.55%, since it was launched in January this year. The SSF’s main responsibility is to act as first responder at accident sites for rescue and transport of victims.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann conceptualised and launched SSF to create a dedicated road safety patrol. Data from Punjab Police headquarters reveal that between February 1 and October 31, 2024, road accident fatalities decreased by 45.55%, to 918 deaths, compared to 1,686 deaths in the same period in 2023. In just eight months, the SSF rescued 17,469 road accident victims, with an emergency response time of 6 minutes and 41 seconds – a global benchmark. Earlier, victims went unattended or were helped only by fellow commuters.
For the SSF, about 1,597 specially trained personnel are recruited, with144 vehicles and state-of-the-art machinery.
Source: Indian Express, rozanaspokesman.com
Private land for flood mitigation in Chennai
The Tamil Nadu government has started to acquire private land to widen waterways and take up flood mitigation projects, according to Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
The main floodpoints seem to be Okkiyam Maduvu that drains water from the Pallikaranai marshland into the Buckingham Canal. Land was acquired from a private educational institution to widen it from 80 m to 130 m, in order to increase its water carrying capacity from 7,000 cusecs to 12,000 cusecs.
About 1,194 pumps and 524 jet-rodding and 158 super-sucker machines were readied and machinery for flood preparedness increased by 21% in November. About 329 relief centres and 120 kitchens to supply food in flood-affected areas have been set up.
Heavy rains have been predicted in Chennai and other cities in Tamil Nadu over four days, according to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD). However, school holidays have not been declared.
Source: LivMint, The Hindu
Read More: Monsoon relief: How our community helpline supports Tambaram residents
Cybercrimes rise every year
About 1,679 cybercrime cases were registered between January and August this year. Among them, about 1,589 were related to financial fraud, and a loss of about Rs 189 crore, reported the Greater Chennai City Police. Sources said that the number of cases reported has been steadily growing every year. In 2021, Rs 3 crore was lost to cybercrime in Coimbatore, which rose to Rs 13 crore in 2022 and Rs 48 crore in 2023.
By this month, there were complaints totalling Rs 98 crore, with about 50% of Rs 49.25 crore frozen by authorities. The state cyber crime unit received 6,798 complaints this year, leading to 255 FIRs. So far, 41 suspects have been arrested, seven of whom have been detained under the Goondas Act.
Scammers use methods such as online share trading fraud, “Digital Arrest” scams involving FedEx or TRAI impersonators, part-time job scams, matrimonial frauds, and gift or electricity bill scams. Those who are harassed can contact the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) within 24 hours, through the helpline (1930) or www.cybercrime.gov.in.
Source: The News Minute
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]