Delhi & Noida: AQI drops post Diwali as people defy cracker ban

Pollution in Delhi and Noida reached an alarming level on Sunday as people burst firecrackers to celebrate the festival. The Air Quality Index stood at 306 in Delhi and 356 in Noida. The Air Quality in Delhi further deteriorated owing to emissions from the firecrackers and stubble burning. The unfavourable weather in Delhi further contributed to the poor Air Quality.

Haryana records Poor Air Quality

Haryana too recorded a poor Air Quality index too at 279 (poor) at Gwal Pahari area in Gurugram. The System Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) predicted the air quality to worsen during Diwali. People in Delhi have been complaining of respiratory issues and allergies too. Moreover, stubble burning has increased in Punjab. According to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), straw burning has also increased this year. Earlier, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said the crop burning has increased and is one of the reasons for Air Pollution. On October 12, he had said smoke from crop residue burning in neighbouring states has started reaching Delhi and the air quality has started deteriorating. "It has been widely reported that the smoke coming to Delhi is due to the burning of stubble in Karnal, Haryana," he had said.

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Supreme Court upholds the use of green firecrackers

With Delhi's air quality plummeting to dangerous levels around Diwali every year, the Supreme Court last year banned polluting firecrackers and ordered that only green firecrackers, which is said to cause 30 percent less pollution, can be manufactured and sold. However, according to reports, the implementation received poor response from buyers and sellers. 

Last year, the overall air quality index post-Diwali was recorded in the "severe-plus emergency" category at 642. In 2017, the AQI was recorded at 367, while it was 425 in 2016. Earlier, Delhi Government said that real-time data to determine the contribution of local and non-local sources, including dust and stubble burning, to air pollution in the national capital region will be available from April next year. 

(With ANI inputs)

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