On the occasion of Diwali, the country’s capital Delhi’s air quality deteriorating to severe category, after Delhities continued to burst firecrackers beyond the deadline given by the Supreme Court.
On November 8, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at an alarming 999 in Delhi’s Anand Vihar area.
The AQI around Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium soared to 999 (the maximum level for the monitors) while the US Embassy in Chanakyapuri scored 459, all under the ‘hazardous’ category.
Despite having imposed a restriction to burst only green crackers between 8 to 10 pm, the Delhities did not appear to adhere to the 10 pm deadline and continued to burst firecrackers till-late night.
According to NDTV report, “The air quality began to deteriorate from 7 pm on Diwali evening. The AQI rose from 281 at 7 pm to 291 an hour later and by 10 pm, it was 296”, said the CPCB.
The AQI level from 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 is satisfactory, 101 to 200 is moderate, 201 to 300 is poor, 301 to 400 is very poor, and 401 and above is severe.
The online indicators of the pollution monitoring stations indicated “poor” and “very poor” air quality as the volume of ultra-fine particulates PM2.5 and PM10, which enter the respiratory system and reach the bloodstream, sharply rose from around 8 pm.
The top court had directed the Delhi police to ensure that banned firecrackers were not sold and in case of violation, the station house officer (SHO) of the area would be held responsible.
However, violations were reported in several parts of the state, including areas like Anand Vihar, ITO, Jahangirpuri Mayur Vihar Extension, Lajpat Nagar, Lutyens Delhi, IP Extension and Dwarka.
Notably, the Centre along with the Delhi government has launched a 10-day “Clean Air Campaign” from November 1 to 10 to monitor polluting activities and to ensure quick action.
Almost 52 teams have been deployed under the campaign are visiting different parts of Delhi and the adjacent towns of Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida.
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