Mumbai, India’s financial center, has ordered construction sites to install barricades. It also banned open-air burning of garbage to improve air quality.
Two days earlier, Swiss group IQAir rated Mumbai as the second most polluted city in the world, behind only China’s Beijing. A score of between 150 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy,’ while one below 100 is considered ‘healthy.’
According to guidelines issued by Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corp (BMC) on Wednesday, construction sites were required to build barricades up to 35 feet (10.67 meters) high using metal or tin sheets or to cover the area with tarpaulin.
A Lucky Lone Yachtsman Is Rescued in Tough Weather Conditions
The James Webb Telescope Just Spotted the 4 Oldest Galaxies Ever Discovered
FedEx to Merge Delivery Networks in Cost-Cutting Move
Why Your Car Insurance is Getting More Expensive
New pictures show havoc caused by tornadoes in the US
The BMC said that it would also monitor the air pollution from state-owned refiners such as Bharat Petroleum Corp. and Hindustan Petroleum Corp., as well as privately owned Tata Power. All of these companies have plants in Mumbai.
Mumbai’s AQI was 157, according to the Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB) on Wednesday. This gave it a “moderate” rating.
CPCB has rated New Delhi as “poor,” with an AQI score of 243. IQAir ranked New Delhi as the most polluted city in the world for several years.
The Cricket World Cup is currently taking place in Mumbai and New Delhi. Cricketers have raised the issue of pollution in the air, even though the tournament is not affected.
Joe Root, England’s captain, told British media that he had played in much hotter and humid conditions. But it felt as if you could not catch your breath. This was a day after England lost to South Africa by 229 runs in Mumbai.
The pollution problem is growing in India. Its capital, Delhi, is covered by a thick layer of smog each winter as the cold, heavy air traps emissions from vehicles, dust, and smoke. Some residents are left struggling to breathe.
Mumbai is the only coastal city where this has been a phenomenon. Mumbai’s air quality was worse on one December day last year than New Delhi.
Reporting by Shilpa jamkhandikar from Mumbai and Sakshi dayal from New Delhi. Editing by Mike Harrison
Housing starts fell 8% to a level of 1,43 million annualized, a bit below the estimates of 1,49 million. This was after a very strong May, which was revised down to 1.56 from its previous level of 1,563 million.
The number of permits for new construction fell 3.7% in May from the revised 1.5 million figure, which was slightly higher than the previous estimate.
The numbers together show that new homes are being built at a steady rate despite high mortgage rates and a general lack of housing available for sale.
Kelly Mangold of RCLCO Real Estate Consulting said, “Dem, and from millennials for homes is high. However, as boomers enter their retirement years, they are often moving and have significant home equity.”
Political Cartoons about the Economy
The report was released a day following the release of the National Association of Home Builders’ monthly survey, which showed that confidence among builders increased by 1 point in June. This is the seventh consecutive rise and the highest level seen since last year.
The lack of homes on the market is a benefit to new home construction since homeowners who have low mortgage rates choose not to sell their properties.
The lack of resale stock means that prospective homebuyers who are not priced out of the marketplace continue to seek new construction said NAHB chairman Alicia Huey. Huey is a custom homebuilder from Birmingham, Alabama. Builders are also concerned about rising mortgage rates, which have reached 7%, and they continue to struggle with supply-side issues, such as the scarcity of transformer equipment for electrical power and concerns over lot availability.