Delhi’s air became ‘very bad’ due to firecrackers on Diwali, AQI recorded at 335 in the morning. The situation remained ‘serious’ in many areas. Despite the rules, pollution has increased and the air quality is expected to deteriorate further in the coming days.
New Delhi: On the day of Diwali, Delhi yearned for clean air. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached ‘Very Poor’ category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), people burst firecrackers in celebration of Diwali, due to which the air became heavily polluted. The city’s overall AQI was recorded at 335 at 8 am.
Most of the 38 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded AQI above 300 (very poor). Among these, AQI in areas like Anand Vihar (414) and Wazirpur (407) was in the ‘Severe’ category. Only two monitoring stations, Sri Aurobindo Marg (165) and Delhi Technological University (DTU) (198), recorded AQI in the ‘moderate’ category. According to the board’s estimate, the situation will remain the same in the coming days also. Experts say that the air quality will worsen further and reach ‘Severe’ category on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Supreme Court had given permission to sell and burst green crackers in Delhi-NCR during Diwali with certain conditions. It is claimed that green firecrackers, made by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, emit 30 percent less pollution than ordinary firecrackers. These firecrackers contain less chemicals like barium and aluminium. Additionally, additives that control dust and smoke are also added to them.
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Time has been fixed for bursting crackers during Diwali celebrations in Delhi. The timing is from 6 am to 7 pm a day before Diwali and from 8 pm to 10 pm on the day of Diwali. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had appealed to the people of Delhi to save the city from pollution by using only green crackers on Diwali.