Timeline of pollution in Delhi

From Timelines
Revision as of 15:42, 9 May 2019 by Sebastian (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a timeline of pollution in Delhi.

Big picture

Time period Development summary
1980s The issue of air and water pollution in Delhi enters the Supreme Court's agenda in the late decade, and periodic statements and orders are issued from the bench.[1]
2010s "Over the last two years, Delhi’s pollution levels were high enough to affect the respiratory and cardiac systems of even healthy people. The health impacts of this pollution may be experienced even during “light physical activity”, as IndiaSpend reported on June 15, 2018."[2]

Full timeline

Year Month and date Category Details
1955 "The Najafgarth drain came to be known as "sorrow of Delhi""[3]
1974 The Central Pollution Control Board is set up under the Water Act.[4]
1982 Delhi passes its first Industrial Policy.[4]
1985 Air pollution The Supreme Court of India states veredict to deal with the chronic problem of vehicular pollution in Delhi, one of the earliest stand taken by judiciary.[4]
1987 Air pollution A survey estimates that 1172 tonnes of suspended particulate matter, hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases are spewed into the air in Delhi by industrial units, the various modes of transport and the power sector.[5]
1990 – 2001 Policy A Master Plan of Delhi allows for "light" industry to be set up in residential areas. This creates a leeway for many industries which are not in the hazardous category (H) to start in the areas vacated by the "H" category industries without the necessity for any permission from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.[6]
1993 – 2000 Light pollution Study author Pavan Kumar says New Delhi, along with Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh experienced increase in “very high light pollution intensity” in the period.[7]
1994 Water pollution The Supreme Court takes suo motu notice of a newspaper report about the pollution of the Yamuna.[1]
1995 The Indian Supreme Court asks the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to categorize all industrial units in the city according to pollution hazard they pose.[8]
1995 Delhi government introduces catalytic converter in passenger cars as vehicle control measure policy to curb air pollution in the city.[4]
1996 February Water pollution The Indian Supreme Court orders the Delhi state government to construct common effluent treatment plants, which the industries are required to pay for, to reduce water pollution.[8]
1996 April The Indian Supreme Court orders the relocation of factories away from residential areas.[8]
1997 Air pollution The annual suspended particulate matter average concentration in Delhi is 339.3 microgrammes per cubic meter.[5]
1998 Air pollution The Indian Supreme Court orders a major transformation of Delhi's transportation system, in response to a public interest petition on air pollution.[8]
1998 Delhi government introduces unleaded petrol as vehicle control measure policy to curb air pollution in the city.[4]
2000 Delhi government introduces reduction of benzene content in fuels and reduction of sulfur content in diesel as vehicle control measure policy to curb air pollution in the city.[4]
2003 Air pollution Delhi wins the United States Department of Energy's first 'Clean Cities International Partner of the Year' award for its "bold efforts to curb air pollution and support alternative fuel initiatives".[9]
2011 September Air pollution The World Health Organization releases data about urban air. This reveals that Delhi has crossed the maximum PM10 limit by almost 10-times at 198 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter). Emission from vehicle and industrial activities are found to be linked with outdoor as well as indoor air pollution in Delhi.[4]
2013 April Air pollution Research paper by The Centre for Development Economics at Delhi School of Economics indicates that Delhi Metro helps reduce vehicular air pollution.[10]
2014 May The World Health Organization announces New Delhi as the most polluted city in the world.[11]
2014 December Air pollution The Centre for Science and Environment classifies the air in Delhi as “severely polluted” for over 65 per cent days.[12]
2015 December Air pollution Study shows that Delhi loses 80 lives to air pollution every day, or approximately 10,000 to 30,000 annual deaths in the city.[12][13]
2015 End of the year Air pollution Severe air pollution in Delhi National Capital Region leads to a number of Supreme Court rulings, one banning the sale of diesel cars in the area with engine displacements greater than 2.0 L from January 1 to 1 April 2016.[14]
2016 November Air pollution Air pollution in Delhi reaches 16 times above safe levels, and the Delhi government declares an emergency.[2]
2017 November Air pollution A public health emergency is declared by the Indian Medical Association in Delhi as air quality index breached 999, likened to smoking 50 cigarettes a day. Air pollution raises to over 710 micrograms per cubic meter, more than 11 times the World Health Organisation’s safe limit.[15][16][17][18]
2017 November 25 Air pollution The Supreme Court of India bans the sale of firecrackers in Delhi to alleviate pollution.[19]
2017 December Air pollution During a test match between Sri Lankan and Indian cricket teams in New Delhi, Sri Lanka players begin to feel breathing problems and several players vomit both in the rest rooms and in the field and have to use face masks until the end of the match.[20]
2018 – 2019 November 2018 – January 2019 Air pollution "Toxic levels of air pollution monitored over Delhi almost every week from November 1 last year to January 6 showed that the government’s emergency plans to tackle the city’s annual crisis have failed, said a report of United Residents Joint Action or URJA, a collective of the city’s resident welfare associations."[2]

Meta information on the timeline

How the timeline was built

The initial version of the timeline was written by User:Sebastian.

Funding information for this timeline is available.

Feedback and comments

Feedback for the timeline can be provided at the following places:

  • FIXME

What the timeline is still missing

Timeline update strategy

See also

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Bauer, Joanne R. Forging Environmentalism: Justice, Livelihood, and Contested Environments: Justice, Livelihood, and Contested Environments. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Despite government's emergency pollution plan, Delhi once again breathed deadly air through winter". scroll.in. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  3. Agarwal, S. K. Water Pollution. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Pollution in Delhi : A Chronic Problem". jagranjosh.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Agarwal, S. K. Air Pollution. 
  6. Raju, K.V.; Ravindra, A.; Manasi, S.; Smitha, K.C.; Srinivas, Ravindra. Urban Environmental Governance in India: Browsing Bengaluru. 
  7. "Not just air, light pollution too is on the rise in India". scroll.in. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Bauer, Joanne R. Forging Environmentalism: Justice, Livelihood, and Contested Environments. 
  9. "Express India". Cities.expressindia.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  10. "Delhi Metro helps reduce vehicular air pollution, indicates research". indiatoday.in. Retrieved 9 May 2019. 
  11. Madhok, Madhok (16 October 2014). "Here is why India has no clue how bad its air pollution problem is". Quartz India. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Delhi loses 80 lives to air pollution every day, says study". downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  13. "Air pollution kills 30,000 in Delhi every year". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  14. Naseem, Mohammad; Naseem, Saman. Energy Law in India. 
  15. "Toxic Air Is Now A Year-Round Problem For Delhi". bloombergquint.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019. 
  16. "Delhi doctors declare pollution emergency as smog chokes city". theguardian.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  17. "Delhi residents panic as 'deadly smog' returns". bbc.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  18. "Delhi's air pollution is triggering a health crisis". bbc.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  19. "Supreme Court bans sale of firecrackers in Delhi, NCR". Times of India. Retrieved 8 May 2019. 
  20. Safi, Michael (2017-12-03). "Pollution stops play at Delhi Test match as bowlers struggle to breathe". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 May 2019.