Delhi’s air quality took a significant hit this morning as residents disregarded a ban on firecrackers during the Diwali festivities on Thursday. The continued use of firecrackers led to increased noise pollution and thick smoke, with restrictions being flouted well into the night.
Real-time data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) indicated that Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) surged to 359 at 6:30 am, categorizing it as “very poor.” This spike followed an AQI reading of 328 earlier in the morning. The AQI scale ranges from 0 to 50 for good, 51 to 100 for satisfactory, 101 to 200 for moderate, 201 to 300 for poor, 301 to 400 for very poor, 401 to 450 for severe, and above 450 for severe-plus.
Levels of fine particulate matter, specifically PM2.5 pollutants that can enter the bloodstream via the lungs, skyrocketed to over 23 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily limit. Monitoring agency IQAir reported pollutant levels exceeding 345 micrograms per cubic meter, ranking Delhi as the city with the worst air quality globally.
Among the 40 monitoring stations throughout the city, most reported “very poor” air quality, with Anand Vihar and RK Puram recording the highest AQI at 395. Other areas with alarming levels included Burari Crossing (394), Sonia Vihar (392), Punjabi Bagh (391), and several others, all falling within the very poor category.
Looking ahead, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune has predicted that Delhi’s air quality may continue to remain in the “very poor” range (AQI 300 to 400) on Friday.
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In response to the situation, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced the formation of 377 teams tasked with enforcing the firecracker ban across the capital. A senior officer from the Delhi Police stated that deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) were instructed to create dedicated teams to monitor firecracker usage in their respective districts.
Last year, during Diwali celebrations on November 12, Delhi achieved its best air quality in eight years, with an average AQI of 218. The seasonal increase in pollution levels is often exacerbated by stubble burning in neighboring Haryana and Punjab during the post-harvest months of October and November. Authorities have been grappling with hazardous air quality in recent weeks, prompting the implementation of stage two of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) last week.
