On Diwali night, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) plunged into the “very poor” category as the capital celebrated the festival with green firecrackers, raising concerns over deteriorating air quality. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall AQI at 6 pm was 345.
Delhi's air quality deteriorated on Diwali, with 34 out of 38 monitoring stations recording pollution levels in the 'red zone' on Monday, indicating 'very poor' to 'severe' air across the national capital.
The pollution levels are set to deteriorate further in the coming hours as the firecracker bursting and poor meteorological conditions are set to worsen conditions. There have also been violations of orders regarding the sale and purchase of firecrackers in parts of the city, adding to the woes.
Delhi-NCR marked the festival amid toxic air and anti-pollution measures under Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP 2), which came into effect Sunday evening.
Some monitoring stations even recorded “severe” levels of pollution. On Monday morning, most stations reported AQI above 300, with Anand Vihar and Wazirpur crossing 400.
At 6 am, Anand Vihar recorded the worst air quality at 414, while Sri Aurobindo Marg logged the lowest at 158. By 10 am, Wazirpur reached 419, followed by Anand Vihar at 411, with Sri Aurobindo Marg remaining the least polluted at 168.
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The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed GRAP Stage II restrictions to curb pollution, following Stage I measures from October 14. Key steps include stricter enforcement on diesel generator use, limiting non-compliant interstate buses in Delhi, and hiking parking fees to reduce private vehicle use.
The Supreme Court had allowed the sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during Diwali under specific conditions.
Their use is permitted within set hours—6 am to 7 pm and 8 am to 10 pm—on the day before Diwali and on the festival day itself, which may have contributed to the AQI spike.
Delhi’s weather added to the day’s intensity, with the maximum temperature reaching 33.3°C, slightly above the seasonal average, and the minimum settling at 20.6°C, 2.2 degrees higher than normal, according to the India Meteorological Department.
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