Delhi’s air quality index plunges to ‘severe’ category post Diwali

A day after Diwali, Delhi National Capital Region’s (NCR) air quality has deteriorated to the worst that the capital has seen this year. Firecrackers and not stubble burning was the major culprit in exacerbating the pollution levels, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. 

Residents of Delhi NCR, in utter disregard to the Supreme Court order of bursting green firecrackers between 8 to 10 pm, continued to burst crackers late until night.

According to data obtained from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), pollution levels are at an all-time high and the air quality is ‘severe,’ surpassing all the previous thresholds of polluted air.

For example, particulate matter (PM) 2.5 levels in and around Delhi University area recorded at 12 pm on Thursday stood at 911 micrograms per cubic metre, over 15 times higher than the satisfactory levels that stand between 0-60. In Noida, PM 2.5 levels hovered at 820 on Thursday afternoon. 

SAFAR has designed a prediction model especially for Diwali this year and predicted that in case no firecrackers were burnt on November 7 (Diwali day), PM 2.5 levels would have hovered at 190 micrograms per cubic meter. In case crackers were burnt, then on November 8 (the next day post-Diwali), PM 2.5 levels would spike at 500 micrograms per cubic meter. The pollution levels have surpassed 500 in Delhi this year. 

The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences in an advisory has stated that the contribution of stubble burning to rising levels of pollution in Delhi NCR on Wednesday and Thursday has been marginal.

It said: “Air quality index entered into severe category at 2 am after midnight on November 8 and will continue to remain severe until evening. The smoke layer has been formed after 1 am and has brought down the inversion layer trapping pollutants rapidly. Surface winds are continuing to play a major role and have become calm now, blowing at 2.1 kilometres per hour. Rapid build-up (of pollution) due to stagnation is expected until noon.”

In a blatant violation of the Supreme Court order, residents in Noida were burning extremely noisy firecrackers late until midnight, noted 74-year-old Raj Rani Kaur, resident of Sector 82, Noida.

“The pollution levels have been so bad, that even after shutting down all the doors and windows, there is a yellow haze of pollutants inside the house. My eyes have been burning excruciatingly since morning,” Kaur told  BusinessLine.

Also, areas in the heart of Lutyens Delhi, East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar, Patparganj and South Delhi’s Haus Khas, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and so on were enveloped in thick grey smog early in the morning a day after Diwali.

The Ministry's advisory has also asked all the residents of Delhi NCR to avoid all physical activities outdoors on Thursday. “Anyone who is experiencing any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, breathing difficulty or fatigue should consult a doctor. All windows in the rooms should be closed as also the fresh intake option of the air-conditioner should be deactivated. The residents should not burn any wood, incense or even candles. The rooms in the house should be kept clean through wet mopping, and no vaccuum cleaners should be used. Only N-95 or P-100 respirator masks may help if a person steps out, everything else will be futile,” it states. 

High levels of PM 2.5 affect human lungs the worst, as minute particles get lodged inside the lungs making breathing difficult. While the overall air quality index (AQI) in Delhi as stated by SAFAR is 600 on Thursday, it is predicted to reduce to 392, making the air better by Friday.

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