Delhi’s air quality turns ‘very poor’ on Diwali night; firecracker ban flouted

Bursting of firecrackers can once again be attributed to Delhi’s air quality turning ‘very poor’ on Diwali night. According to SAFAR, India air quality service, Delhi’s overall AQI read 323 which puts the city in the ‘very poor category’ at midnight (October 24).

Despite the missive from the environment department that said bursting firecrackers in Delhi will attract a jail term up to six months and a fine of Rs 200, people in many parts of the city burst firecrackers with impunity. People mostly started bursting high-decibel firecrackers post 8 pm on Monday and as the night progressed, the intensity kept on increasing.

Air pollution worsens in Delhi-NCR on the night of Diwali, air quality plummets to 'Very Poor' category in Delhi and Noida. pic.twitter.com/1GkAyt952F

— ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2022

Flouting the ban

In south Delhi’s CR Park and neighbouring places like Greater Kailash 2 and Nehru Place firecrackers could be heard post 8 pm, with the intensity going up with each passing hour.

Also read: Delhi pollution: How GRAP initiative is set to tackle winter blues

Blanket ban on firecrackers is in place in the national capital till January 1, a practice that has been followed for the last two years.

Delhi recorded an AQI of 259 (poor) on Sunday, the lowest in seven years for the day before Diwali. On November 3 last year, AQI was 314 (very poor). It shot up to 382 on Diwali and was 462 (severe) the next day.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s pollution level was the lowest in five years this Diwali with a 24-hour average AQI of 312. The national capital had recorded an AQI of 382 last year; 414 in 2020; 337 in 2019, and 281 in 2018.

Unfavourable conditions

This year experts had warned that calm winds may push air quality into the severe category on Monday and Tuesday even if there is no emission from firecrackers.

“For the next three days (October 24, 25 and 26), peak surface wind speed is likely to be calm to 5-10km/h causing weak dispersion, and AQI is likely to be ‘very poor’ on Monday. It is likely to worsen to ‘lower end of severe’ on Diwali night and next day, October 25. Shallow mixing height during the night and early morning aids the accumulation of pollutants near the surface,” according to a forecast issued by SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) on Sunday.

Also watch: Do green firecrackers curb pollution?

GRAP stage 2 enforced

With authorities foreseeing the deterioration in air quality to ‘very poor’ category in Delhi on Diwali and the following days, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in Delhi-NCR had directed the authorities to enact Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes banning the use of diesel generators, coal and firewood in hotels, restaurants and open eateries.