Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor'; higher temp, winds help disperse pollutants post Diwali

NEW DELHI: The air quality in Delhi remained in the "very poor" category on Friday, despite relentless bursting of firecrackers during Diwali celebrations the previous day, thanks to above-normal temperatures and favourable winds that helped in the dispersion of pollutants.

A thick layer of haze blanketed the national capital, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 362 at 9 am as people defied a citywide ban on firecrackers on Diwali.

However, the condition improved and the city's 24-hour average AQI recorded at 4 pm was 339, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The capital also saw an increase in the noise-pollution levels between 6 pm and midnight on Diwali, data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) showed.

It was anticipated that Delhi's air quality would enter the "severe" category due to the bursting of firecrackers on Diwali, but it remained "very poor".

"Despite the ban, firecrackers were burst in Delhi-NCR. However, the air quality did not reach the severe category as the winds helped improve the situation," environmentalist Vimalendu Jha told PTI.

Jha, however, said in the coming days, there is a possibility of a spike in pollution levels in the capital due to unfavourable weather conditions.

On Friday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 33.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 18.4 degrees Celsius, 2.3 notches above normal.

Of the 40 weather-monitoring stations in the city, 32 recorded "very poor" air quality, the data showed.

Areas including Alipur (335), Anand Vihar (385), Ashok Vihar (365), Aaya Nagar (316), Bawana (364), Burari (345), Mathura Road (332), IGI Airport, Dwarka (367), Jahangirpuri (361), Mundka (340), Patparganj (339), Rohini (367), Sonia Vihar (370) and Wazirpur (366) recorded "very poor" air quality, according to the Sameer app that provides hourly updates of the National AQI published by the CPCB.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", 401 and 450 "severe" and above 450 "severe plus".

In its report on Diwali, the DPCC said the AQI did not show any significant change, even though many people flouted anti-pollution norms.

According to the report, the 24-hour average AQI reached 328 on Thursday, rising to 360 on Friday morning.

The report said the PM2.5 levels decreased by 4 per cent as compared to last year's Diwali, while the PM10 levels increased by 11 per cent.

PM2.5 are fine inhalable particles with a diameter that is generally 2.5 micrometre or smaller and are hazardous for health conditions. The acceptable annual standard for PM2.5 is 40 micrograms per cubic metre.

PM10 are particulate matters that are 10 micrometre or less in diameter.

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) reported a surge in fire-related calls on Diwali with more than 300 such incidents -- the highest in 13 years -- reported from across the city.

According to a DFS official, the increase in the number of such calls this year was due to the extensive use of firecrackers.

Delhi hospitals reported more than 280 cases of burn injuries, largely caused by firecrackers, on Diwali.

The Safdarjung Hospital, which has the largest burn unit in the country, recorded the highest number of 117 such cases on Thursday, followed by 48 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and 19 at the LNJP Hospital.

Of the patients, 102 suffered minor burns and were treated in the outpatient departments, while 15 with major burns were admitted, according to hospital authorities.

Gaps in enforcement, limited monitoring and easy access to firecrackers at places in the National Capital Region (NCR) where restrictions were slack were largely responsible for the widespread flouting of the firecracker ban, experts said.

Although the Delhi government had set up 377 enforcement teams and spread awareness through local associations to ensure compliance with the ban, neighbourhoods across the eastern and western parts of the city reported large-scale flouting of the restrictions.

Rajiv Kakria, convenor of Save Our City (SOC), a south Delhi-based collective of resident welfare associations (RWAs), NGOs and activists, said the firecracker ban was not enforced effectively.

"The porous Delhi-NCR borders make it easy for people to buy firecrackers without any difficulty. It is challenging to impose the ban because while firecrackers are banned in Delhi, those can be easily obtained from neighbouring areas," he said.

However, as the air quality remained in the "very poor" category, Environment Minister Gopal Rai expressed gratitude to Delhiites for "largely refraining from bursting firecrackers" on Diwali.

"Thanks to the responsible actions of many residents who avoided using firecrackers, we managed to avoid a severe AQI reading," he said.

Mahesh Palawat, vice president of meteorology and climate change at Skymet, said, "This year, pollution levels were not as high as anticipated. We expected the air quality to fall into the severe category, but winds started blowing from the northwest at a good speed, which dispersed pollutants."