Delhi world’s ‘most polluted’ city post Diwali: Study
Delhi’s Diwali night blazed with colours and high-decibel firecrackers. The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) department received a record number of 318 distress or emergency calls of fire accidents, out of which 280 were alerts. According to Swiss firm IQ Air, the air quality index stood at over 345 shortly after dawn, in the “hazardous” category, with New Delhi at the top of a real-time global list as the world’s most-polluted city.
However, on November 1st, Environment Minister Gopal Rai expressed gratitude to Delhiites for “largely refraining from bursting firecrackers” on Deepavali, which helped prevent the city’s air quality index (AQI) from slipping into the ‘severe’ category, he said.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had imposed a complete ban on the manufacturing, storage, sale and use of firecrackers till January 1, 2025. Just ‘green crackers, free from toxic chemicals like barium and lead, were allowed from 8 PM to 10 PM on Diwali but adjusted for Gurpurab, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Yet Diwali firecracker celebrations continued till midnight. Gopal Rai had launched the ‘Diya Jalao‘ campaign, asking people to light lamps, not crackers, to fight pollution.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had earlier issued notices to the Delhi Police Commissioner and Traffic Commissioner to file details on actions taken to control vehicular pollution. It said that a transparent process should be followed to invoke different stages of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Source: Indian Express, DW.com, The Hindu, LiveMint
Read More: When Mumbai celebrated Diwali: Lights, sound, action…and pollution!
AQI dips across India
Chandigarh and other places in Punjab and Haryana reported ‘poor’ AQI, in spite of Diwali regulations. There was a dip in the AQI in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra too, although only limited green firecrackers had been permitted. The AQI in Indore, the country’s cleanest city in Madhya Pradesh, breached the 400 mark, with the air quality reached the “severe” category.
In Bihar’s cities, Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, and Hajipur, there was a total ban on all firecrackers, even green alternatives. Yet the air quality dipped to “very poor” in many places. Karnataka too, allowed only green crackers through 8 pm to 10 pm from October 31st to November 2nd, according to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) regulations. Yet there was a significant spike in air pollution on Diwali night.
In Kolkata, the air pollution was recorded as “poor”, although Bengal imposed regulations according to the NGT. There was a significant boost in firecracker production and sales, said an All Bengal Fireworks Makers and Sellers Organisation spokesman. The fireworks industry is expected to have exceeded the sales figure of Rs 8,000 crore last year and expected a turnover of Rs 15,000 crore this year.
Source: LiveMint, Indian Express, Deccan Herald, The Times of India
Health risk from extreme heat: Lancet report
About 10 to 15 indicators used to monitor climate change-related health hazards have reached “concerning new records”, said the 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change. India is specially vulnerable.
There is an urgent need to develop, implement and budget for heat action plans in each city and town in India, based on the Ahmedabad heat action plan, implemented since 2013, with positive results in reduction in mortality, said the former director of Indian Institute of Public Health.
Coastal regions, such as the Sundarbans, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and parts of Gujarat, are especially vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise due to the heat risk.
The biggest risk to lives is from heat, due to which about 181 billion potential labour hours were lost in 2023, an increase of 50% from the 1990-1999 annual average. Heat exposure and health impacts can be reduced by strengthening public health systems and sector-specific cooling plans, including revised working hours, said the Lancet report.
Source: Indian Express, Down to Earth
Office rents surge to pre-pandemic levels
Across six major Indian cities, average office rents for the first time this year “breached” pre-pandemic, 2019 levels, according to a real estate advisory firm, Colliers India. Rentals nationwide increased averagely from Rs 99.5 per square foot in 2019 to Rs 101.3 per sq ft in 2024.
Demand recovery in the office market was swift after the pandemic, with a steep, V-shaped recovery trajectory. Following a low-key demand in 2020 and 2021, the leasing activity shot back by 2022. Every year is witnessing all-time-high Grade A office space uptake. The rental recovery in the Indian office market is slower than the demand recovery trajectory, yet it has been fully complete, forming an elongated U-shaped pattern.
Office rents in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) shot up by 8.3% this year over 2019, ranking as the most in the country. Pune showed the second-highest surge in office rent, with a rise of 7.7%, while Mumbai is third, with a rental change of 5.8%.
Hyderabad and Pune were at pre-pandemic rent levels in 2022. Even as Bengaluru and Chennai crossed 2019 rental levels in 2023, Delhi NCR and Mumbai finished the recovery cycle in 2024.
Grade A office space shows an uptake of 264 million sq ft (msf). The annual space take-up of about 60 msf is expected to be the new norm in the medium-term, even as demand scale-up in Indian commercial real estate solidifies. Average office rentals can witness up to 10% annual growth across key Indian cities by the end of this year, notes the report.
Source: Business Standard, Business Insider
Read more: Karnataka government’s not-so-green plan for parks
Local bodies experiment with green bonds
The first green bonds are being issued by a number of Indian cities that seek to tap small yet expanding municipal debt market for funds to power climate action. Surat, Pimpri Chinchwad and southern city Coimbatore are finalising proposals after a plan was released by Rajkot Municipal Corporation this month to raise up to $200 million.
As state governments’ balance sheets face limitations, urban bodies explore new avenues to finance their needs. Surat Municipal Corporation aims to raise Rs 200 crore and is being aided by the United Nations Development Program. The plan is to install more wind and solar plants and improve sewage water treatment.
Coimbatore plans to raise Rs 150 crore with proceeds designated for adding a 20 megawatt solar power plant. Pimpri Chinchwad is seeking state government approval for green issuance of Rs 200 crore. The proceeds would be used on sustainable infrastructure, said Pravin Jain, chief finance officer of the city’s civic authority.
However, city authorities began to issue bonds just a decade ago and face many challenges. The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development, a government-backed lender, is looking at options to help cities improve credit ratings.
Source: Business Standard
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]