The air quality level after Diwali seems much better this year compared to that in 2018, Delhi Environment Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Monday, 28 October, news agency PTI reported.
“The air quality on the morning after Diwali this year is comparatively better than that of last year... every person I am meeting is saying that the air quality is much better this time.”Environment Minister of Delhi, Kailash Gahlot
His comments come after pollution levels in Delhi spiked late on Sunday after Diwali celebrations in the capital, putting an end to the relief that accompanied a reduced number of firecrackers till the eve of Diwali.
The AQI in the national capital entered the ‘Hazardous’ category late in the night, with many places touching an AQI of as high as 999, the maximum number that can be displayed by the machines set in place to measure the air quality.
The rise in pollution came after people continued bursting crackers until late on Sunday night, violating the Supreme Court-enforced two-hour limit with impunity.
People reported violation of the two-hour window in Malviya Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Kailash Hills, Burari, Jangpura, Shahdara, Laxmi Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Sarita Vihar, Hari Nagar, New Friends Colony, Hauz Khas, Gautam Nagar, Dwarka among others places, reported news agency PTI.
Residents in Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad also reported extensive fireworks much beyond the timeframe.
While the independent reading recorded by aqicn.org put the AQI level at 999, news agency PTI quoted government’s air quality monitors to put it at 327 at 11 pm and dipped to 323 at 3:30 am
The air quality in the city, which was marked as ‘very poor’ on 29 out of the 37 air quality monitors in the national capital earlier in the day, moved to ‘hazardous’ after Diwali celebrations.
On Monday morning, the air quality showed some improvement, but was still in the ‘very unhealthy’ category at 7 am.
According to a PTI report, which quoted government agencies, the AQI was expected to enter the ‘severe’ category in days following Diwali due to firecracker emissions, unfavourable weather and a significant spike in stubble burning.
Meanwhile, this is how the air pollution levels look like according to a study by BreeZo.
(With inputs from PTI)
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