Delhi and NCR’s air quality worsens, people burst crackers despite ban
#News Bureau November 1,2024
The air quality in Delhi NCR worsened on Friday morning as people burst firecrackers during Diwali on Thursday. The continuous bursting of firecrackers led to severe pollution and the capital was engulfed in thick smog. People in Delhi NCR continued to violate the restrictions till late night. According to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 359 at 6:30 am on Friday, which falls in the “very poor” category. On Diwali morning, i.e. Thursday, the AQI was at 328.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered good, between 51 and 100 satisfactory, between 101 and 200 moderate, between 201 and 300 poor, between 301 and 400 very poor, between 401 and 450 severe and above 450 severe-plus.
Most of the 40 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded AQI levels in the “very poor” category, with Anand Vihar and RK Puram recording the worst air quality index of 395. Burari Crossing (394), Sonia Vihar (392), Punjabi Bagh (391), North Campus (390), Bawana (388), Jahangirpuri (387), Rohini (385), Ashok Vihar (384), and Nehru Nagar (381) are the areas with “very poor” air quality.
The Indian Institute of Meteorology (IITM), Pune has said that the air quality in Delhi is likely to remain in the “very poor” category (AQI 300 to 400) on Friday. The NCR city of Gurgaon has an air quality of 361 in the very poor category on Friday morning. Faridabad is in the poor category with an AQI of 251. Similarly, Ghaziabad has an AQI of 338 and Noida has an AQI of 290.
On the eve of Diwali, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had announced that 377 teams had been formed to enforce the ban on firecrackers in the capital. A senior Delhi Police official had said that all Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) were asked to form dedicated teams to ensure that firecrackers are not burst in their respective districts. But the public did not listen. Last year, Diwali was celebrated on November 12 and Delhi recorded the best air quality in eight years on Diwali day, with the average AQI being 218.
पड़ोसी राज्य हरियाणा और पंजाब में विशेष रूप से अक्टूबर और नवंबर के फसल के बाद के मौसम के दौरान पराली जलाने या खेत में आग लगाने को भी अक्सर दिल्ली में प्रदूषण के स्तर में वृद्धि के लिए जिम्मेदार ठहराया जाता है। दिल्ली पिछले कुछ हफ्तों से खतरनाक वायु गुणवत्ता में सांस ले रही है, जिसके कारण अधिकारियों को पिछले सप्ताह जीआरएपी या ग्रेडेड रिस्पांस एक्शन प्लान के चरण दो को लागू करना पड़ा था।
