Delhi's air quality plummets to severe levels after 'green' Diwali
What's the story
Delhi's air quality took a turn for the worse on Tuesday, a day after Diwali celebrations. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) plummeted to 451 at 7:00am, which is 1.8 times above the national average and in the severe category. This comes after an AQI of 344 was recorded on Diwali night, with areas like Wazirpur and Dwarka witnessing "severe" levels of pollution.
Firecracker impact
Supreme Court allowed use of green firecrackers
The Supreme Court had allowed the use of "green" firecrackers in Delhi-NCR between 8:00pm and 10:00pm. However, celebrations continued beyond these hours. By 10:00pm on Diwali night, most monitoring stations recorded air quality in the 'red zone,' that is, ranging from "very poor" to "severe" air quality. On Sunday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had already implemented Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR.
Weather impact
Weather forecast for Tuesday
Meanwhile, the weather department has said that the absence of strong winds will lead to smoggy conditions persisting on Tuesday. Partly cloudy skies are expected in the morning in several areas. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover between 31-33 degrees Celsius and 20-22 degrees Celsius, respectively, with the minimum temperature being above normal by 1-3 degrees and the maximum hovering around the seasonal average.
Pollution sources
Transport emissions contributed 15.6% to pollution
Data from the Decision Support System (DSS) revealed that transport emissions contributed 15.6% to Delhi's pollution on Monday, while industries accounted for 23.3%. The CPCB classifies AQI between 0-50 as "good," 51-100 as "satisfactory," 101-200 as "moderate," 201-300 as "poor," 301-400 as "very poor," and above 401 as "severe." Last year, Delhi's air quality deteriorated to the upper end of the 'very poor' category with an AQI of 359 after Diwali celebrations.