Air Quality in Delhi at 385; 4-Day Ban on Firecrackers Imposed

National Green Tribunal had imposed a blanket ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in Delhi till 30 Nov.

Low visibility due to smog in New Delhi on Tuesday, 10 November. 

(Photo: PTI)

The air quality in the national capital on Friday, 13 November, was recorded at 385, according to data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). With increased stubble burning in Punjab and nearby regions, the air quality is expected to deteriorate further.

According to the Central Board, the air quality in Noida is 354 and in Gurugram it is 376.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences on Thursday claimed that the level of PM2.5, a deadly pollutant, is likely to be lowest in the past four years under zero-firecracker scenarios during Diwali.

Ban on Firecrackers

On 9 November, the National Green Tribunal had imposed a blanket ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region till November 30. The direction also applies to cities and towns where air quality during November fell to 'poor' and above categories.

In 2019, however, even though the Delhi Government had organised four days of laser shows to convince the residents to choose life over firecrackers, the morning after Diwali, the city's air quality had turned worse than that of 2018.

In view of the deadly pollution and smog that have encompassed the national capital, a giant air purifier has been installed in East Delhi and two more will be installed soon, BJP lawmaker Gautam Gambhir said on Thursday.

One of the air purifiers will be installed next week and the other in the week after that. These giant air purifiers are approximately 12 feet in size and cover an area of 1,000 sq mt. The fully automatic machines will deliver 2 lakh cubic metre of clean air every day.

How Is Air Quality Index Categorised?

There are six AQI (Air Quality Index) categories, namely Good + Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe. Each of these categories is decided based on ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints).

Delhi NCR Region Air Quality Index on 13 November

Delhi NCR Region	AQI Level	PM 2.5 Pollutant Level	PM 10 Pollutant Level
Alipur	298	290	298
Anand VIhar	383	378	383
Aya Nagar	268	268	197
Bawana	370	370	368
CRPI Mathura Road	318	295	318
DTU	329	329	289
Dwarka-Sector 8	345	338	345
IGI Airport	298	298	232
IHBAS, Dilshad Garden	337	337	335
Jahangirpuri	372	372	357
Jawharlal Nehru Stadium	290	290	239
Lodhi Road	299	299	175
Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium	290	290	220
Mandir Marg	299	299	209
Mundka	352	352	249
NSIT Dwarka	407	280	407
Najafgarh	338	338	236
Narela	333	333	333
Nehru Nagar	346	346	307
North Campus	312	312	274
Okhla Phase-2	342	321	342
Punjabi Bagh	346	346	326
Pusa	282	282	244
RK Puram	292	292	216
Rohini	363	352	363
Shadipur	348	260	348
Sirifort	298	298	256
Sonia Vihar	338	338	309
Sri Aurobindo Marg	278	278	157
Vivek Vihar	362	362	344
Wazipur	383	294	383

(with inputs from IANS)