Delhi records worst air quality of year after rampantly bursting crackers
Delhi's air quality index jumped to 574, which falls under the "severe-plus category"
The morning after Diwali, Delhi woke up to a thick cloud of smog which worsened by the hour, recording the Capital's worst air quality this year.
With the air quality entering the "severe-plus category", the overall air quality index in Delhi jumped to 574, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
The Air Quality Index is a number used to communicate the level of pollution in the air and it essentially tells you the level of pollution in the air in a given city on a given day.
The monitoring system qualifies the air from good to severe:
- Good: AQI of 0-100; minimal impact on health
- Satisfactory: AQI of 0-100; minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people
- Moderate: AQI of 101-200; breathing discomfort to people with asthma, lung and heart diseases
- Poor: AQI of 201-300; breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure
- Very poor: AQI of 301-400; respiratory illness on prolonged exposure
- Severe: AQI of 401-500; affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases
The air quality in Delhi-NCR started deteriorating rapidly last evening itself. The AQI was 281 at 7 pm. It rose to 291 at 8 pm and further deteriorated to 294 at 9 pm and 296 at 10 pm, according to the CPCB.
The Supreme Court had allowed bursting of firecrackers from 8 pm to 10 pm only on Diwali and other festivals. It had also allowed manufacture and sale of only "green crackers", which have a low light and sound emission and less harmful chemicals.
The court had asked the police to ensure that banned firecrackers were not sold and said in case of any violation, the station house officer (SHO) of the police station concerned would be held personally liable and it would amount to committing contempt of the court.
But despite the apex court order, there were reports of violation from many areas that continued till midnight.
Several areas showed a spike in the air pollution. Areas like Anand Vihar, ITO and Jahangirpuri recorded very high pollution levels.
Violations of the Supreme Court order were reported from Mayur Vihar Extension, Lajpat Nagar, Lutyens Delhi, IP extension, Dwarka, Noida Sector 78 among other places.
The police admitted that there were violations, adding that they would take serious legal action against those violating the apex court order.
The online indicators of the pollution monitoring stations in the city indicated "poor" and "very poor" air quality as the volume of ultra-fine particulates PM2.5 and PM10, which enter the respiratory system and manage to reach the bloodstream, sharply rose from around 8 pm.
The SAFAR forecast "bad" air quality Thursday even though partially toxic crackers were burst as compared to 2017.
The situation was similar, if not worse, in the neighbouring areas of Delhi such as Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad, where crackers were burst as usual, raising question marks on the efficacy of the administration in enforcing the apex court's ban.
A "very poor" AQI essentially means that people may suffer from respiratory illnesses on a prolonged exposure to such air. If the air quality dips further, the AQI will turn "severe", which may trouble even those with sound health conditions and seriously affect those with ailments.
The Centre, in collaboration with the Delhi government, has launched a 10-day "Clean Air Campaign" from November 1 to 10 to monitor and report polluting activities as well as to ensure quick action.
About 52 teams deployed under the campaign are visiting different parts of Delhi and the adjacent towns of Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida.
The teams are being led by the sub-divisional magistrates of the respective areas and comprise senior officials of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), representatives of the CPCB, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
(With inputs from PTI)
READ | Delhi traders invent own green crackers by stuffing fireworks into green veggies
READ | Toxic Delhi: Experts say breathing here is same as smoking 15-20 cigarettes a day
WATCH | Delhi air turns hazardous after Diwali, SC order flouted