Wondering About Air Quality After Diwali? Here’s How You Check It

Delhi has seen severe air quality levels over the last couple of days which get worse around Diwali.

(Photo: Roshun Povahia/FIT)

It’s that time of the year again when crackers every where, crop burning has begun and winter is here with a hazy layer of air pollutants with it. As allergies get triggered and sinuses inflamed, how does one figure out the air quality index? Well, using small devices like the air quality monitor in this video.

They are installed all over the city to gather data. Next this data is transferred to an online server which can be accessed using mobile applications. These apps tell the PM10 and PM2.5 levels, sometimes along with temperature, humidity and even noise levels.

This particular app in question showed the PM10 levels to be 133 in the Vasant Kunj area of New Delhi on the day of Diwali. Anything above 100 is in the unhealthy category, but going by Delhi standards it was pretty good.

Anything above 100 is in the unhealthy category, but going by Delhi standards it was pretty good.

On 6 November, a day before Diwali, Delhi’s air quality was 418 which is “hazardous” at 11am. While other major Indian cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata were either around or below 100.

The situation has been bad for more than two weeks now. And earlier, CPCB had warned that it may only get worse towards Diwali.

India is home to 14 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world (WHO). Breathing in polluted air is costing the world 7 million lives every year and causing harm to more than a billion people. Additionally, children under the age of 5 breathe twice the rate that adults do.

With air quality in areas breaching levels that are beyond hazardous, it’s time to be aware, to know what you are breathing and how your lungs are getting clogged.