Experts welcome stricter air quality norms
The Hindu
‘Revised WHO guidelines will put more pressure on govt. to combat pollution’
The stricter air quality standards issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday are a welcome move but it will be challenging for Delhi to achieve the new limits, experts and officials said.
“The new norms will put more pressure on the government to form policies to achieve stricter standards of air pollution. But achieving the new standards is going to be challenging,” said an official of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
The WHO, in the first update of its air quality guidelines in 15 years, has tightened global air pollution standards in recognition of emerging science that the impact of air pollution on health is much more serious than earlier envisaged.

Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has rolled out digital mode of water bill generation and collection in 23 gram panchayats on a pilot basis for the first time in Karnataka. This is set to be extended to the remaining 200 panchayats shortly, according to the Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Narwade Vinayak Karbhari.

Microplastics, especially nylon fibres, are present in Chennai’s beach sediments in relatively low abundance, but low overall microplastic abundance does not necessarily imply low ecological risk. Even small particles can cause long-term ecological damage by affecting marine life, moving up the food chain, and eventually impacting human health through contaminated seafood.











