According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as ‘good’, 51 and 100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 as ‘poor’, 301 and 400 as ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 as ‘severe’.
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Delhi Pollution
New Delhi: A thick blanket of smog shrouded Delhi on Diwali night, blurring streetlights and blanketing neighbourhoods as celebrations intensified across the capital, pushing air quality at 20 monitoring stations into the ‘severe’ category, with the overall Air Quality Index standing at 371 at 10 pm.
On Sunday evening, fireworks triggered a rise in smoke and haze across several parts of the national capitalPeople took to social media to complain about the smell of firecracker smoke in different localities and reduced visibility.
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Pollution alert: Delhi chokes as ‘very poor’ air quality recorded on Diwali in national capital
At 7 pm, Delhi’s real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 371, falling in the ‘Very Poor’ categoryMeanwhile, the daily average AQI was recorded at 376, compared to 369 on Saturday.
Air Quality Reaches the Severe Category
By 7 pm, air quality had entered the ‘Severe’ category at 19 of the 59 monitoring stations that had reported dataSeven stations recorded ‘Poor’ air quality, while the remaining 33 fell under the ‘Very Poor’ categoryJahangirpuri recorded the worst air quality, with an AQI of 460.
What Will Delhi’s Air Quality Be Like Today?
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, Delhi’s air quality could deteriorate to the ‘Severe’ category from Monday, November 9, and is expected to remain in the same category over the next few days.
Apart from firecracker emissions, vehicular pollution and stubble-burning incidents in neighbouring states could further worsen air qualityUnfavourable weather conditions are also expected to slow down the dispersion of pollutants.
Contribution of Vehicles to Pollution
PM2.5 remained the predominant pollutant in Delhi’s air on SundayAccording to estimates by Delhi’s Decision Support System, vehicles were expected to account for the largest share of pollution at 19 per cent.
The contribution of stubble burning was estimated at 3.5 per cent and could decline to around 2.99 per cent on Monday.
Experts warn that low wind speeds and inadequate atmospheric space for pollutants to disperse could further aggravate the situationA ventilation index below 6,000 square metres per second and an average wind speed of less than 10 kmph are considered unfavourable conditions for the dispersion of pollutants.
Comply with Supreme Court’s directions: Delhi government to citizens
Ahead of Diwali, the Delhi government had appealed to people to comply with the Supreme Court’s directions on sale and use of green firecrackersThe District Magistrate (East), in an order, had permitted the bursting of green firecrackers only on November 7 and 8, between 6 am and 7 am and 8 pm and 10 pm.
Residents reported that firecrackers were being burst in outer Delhi’s Pitampura and Burari, with the intensity particularly high in BurariSimilar reports came from Mayur Vihar, while people in the Bishambardas Marg area and Lutyens’ Delhi said fireworks continued, although the intensity had reduced slightly.
Of the 59 monitoring stations that recorded air quality at 10 pm, 20 recorded AQI in the ‘severe’ category, six in the ‘poor’ category and the remaining 33 in the ‘very poor’ category.
Sonia Vihar recorded the worst air quality, with an AQI of 463, followed by Jahangirpuri at 450Burari, Alipur and Punjabi Bagh were among the other areas recording high pollution levels.
Sonia Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Punjabi Bagh, Burari, Okhla and Rohini were among the monitoring stations that remained in the ‘severe’ category throughout the day.
The city’s air quality had already been close to the ‘severe’ threshold in the evening, with the AQI standing at 371 at 7 pm.
While roads across much of the capital remained relatively deserted during the day, firecracker bursting picked up from around 5-6 pm, with celebrations gathering pace as night fellAs the cracker-bursting continued, smoke accumulated over several neighbourhoods, adding to the existing pollution burden.
