Day after Diwali, Delhi gasps for air amid toxic haze

Delhi residents woke up on Tuesday to heavy grey haze darkening the city skies, reduced visibility and the air quality in the ‘red zone’ after many celebrated Diwali last night by bursting firecrackers beyond the two-hour limit set by the Supreme Court.

According to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 359, in the ‘very poor’ category, at 11 AM. It was 352 at 8 AM, 346 at 5 AM, 347 at 6 AM and 351 at 7 AM.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

Of the total 38 monitoring stations, 35 were in the ‘red zone’, indicating ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ air quality.

While 31 were in the ‘very poor’ category, four were in the ‘severe’ category, according to the CPCB’s SAMEER app, which provides real-time AQI data from monitoring stations.

Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 409, Wazirpur 408, Bawana 432 and Burari 405 — all in the ‘severe’ category.

Environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari said this is a wake-up call for the city.

“With nearly every monitoring station in Delhi now in the red zone and the city’s Air Quality Index soaring past 300… it is a wake-up call,” she said.

“Today’s smog isn’t just clouding the sky, it is choking our children’s lungs,” she said.

In India, respiratory infections already account for nearly 70 per cent of all communicable diseases and the country leads the world in chronic respiratory illnesses, Kandhari said.

Also Read: Delhi government targets 13 pollution hotspots with action plan

In an order passed on October 15, the Supreme Court allowed the use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali, which was celebrated on Monday. However, many flouted the court’s directions, with celebrations continuing late into the night.

On Monday, 36 of the capital’s 38 monitoring stations recorded pollution levels in the ‘red zone’.

Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI on Monday, reported at 4 pm every day, was in the ‘very poor’ category at 345.

The air quality is expected to slip into the ‘severe’ category more widely on Tuesday and Wednesday.