Delhi AQI: Air Quality Drops To 'Very Poor' On Diwali: Here’s How Other Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata Are Faring
Experts have warned that the situation may deteriorate further due to use of firecrackers on Diwali, which could worsen the air quality.
With air quality worsening in the national capital ahead of the Diwali festival on Monday, Delhi and its neighbouring areas have been placed under anti-pollution GRAP-2 restrictions.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed the enhanced measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-II amid an alarming dip in Air Quality Index (AQI).
Experts have warned that the situation may deteriorate further due to the use of firecrackers on Diwali, which could worsen air quality. On Monday morning, the air quality in Delhi remained in the 'very poor' category with an AQI of 341, according to the government-backed System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar) portal.
On Diwali eve itself, most monitoring stations across the capital had recorded pollution levels in the ‘very poor’ category, a PTI report stated, citing Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. The AQI in Anand Vihar was in the ‘severe’ category, surpassing the 400-mark.
An AQI of 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 is considered 'moderate', 201-300 is considered 'poor', 301-400 is considered 'very poor' and 401-500 is considered 'severe'.
The Safar portal has predicted that AQI in Delhi is expected to reach 445 levels on Tuesday, following Diwali.
The Supreme Court has allowed the sale and use of CSIR-NEERI-certified green crackers in Delhi-NCR from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20, but only during two time slots: 6–7 a.m. and 8–10 p.m.
Air Quality In Other Cities
At noon on Monday, the Safar portal showed that major cities like Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai did not witness 'severe' air pollution levels. Unlike Delhi, these cities recorded relatively better air quality.
Most of these cities were hovering in the 'satisfactory' air quality levels, data showed. However, with an increase in fireworks expected on Monday evening, it is feared that air quality in these cities may also plummet.
According to the data, Pune recorded an AQI of 105, falling in the ‘moderate’ category. Mumbai stood at 143, while Kolkata recorded 161, both in the ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’ range. Bengaluru had an AQI of 133, also categorised as ‘moderate.’
Patna showed a significantly higher AQI of 223, indicating ‘poor’ air quality. Hyderabad recorded an AQI of 84, which is considered ‘satisfactory.’ Ahmedabad had one of the best readings at 62, also in the ‘satisfactory’ range.
