The Air Quality Index in the nation’s capital fell into the category of “extremely bad” on Tuesday morning as pollution covers portions of north India following Diwali cracker bursting and stubble burning. The cities with low to terrible air quality included the National Capital Regions compared to Delhi air quality. Ghaziabad had an AQI of 301, Noida of 303, Greater Noida of 270, Gurugram of 325, and Faridabad of 256.
Pollution Level in Delhi
Cities in north India have an enormous struggle every year to combat air pollution as winter approaches. Around Diwali, this problem gets more significant. Even though crackers were still prohibited, a petition was turned down by the Supreme Court last week.
After many years, Delhi experienced a beautiful day on October 25 after Diwali. Despite people lighting fireworks at night in various locations, the pollution level on Tuesday was still low.
But on Tuesday, the city had one of the best afternoons in the previous 20 years. This includes the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, when Diwali was quietly observed. Despite limitations and a ban, some people were observed setting off firecrackers in Delhi. But compared to prior years, there were fewer fireworks-related side effects.
Delhi Air Quality
The morning after Diwali, Delhi’s air quality was classified as “extremely poor.” Still, it was far better than in recent years because favourable weather circumstances slowed the accumulation of pollutants.
At 4 pm on Monday, the 24-hour average AQI Delhi was 312, the second-best reading for Diwali day in seven years. As of Diwali 2018, the city had an AQI of 281 points.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi reported an AQI of 382 on Diwali last year, 414 in 2020, 337 in 2019, 319 in 2017, and 431 in 2016. The city’s 24-hour average AQI was 259 on Sunday night, the lowest Diwali eve reading in seven years.
Pollution after Diwali in Other Cities
1. Mumbai
As firecrackers were set off throughout the city over the weekend, air pollution levels were reported to have risen to deadly levels in India’s financial capital. As we highlighted in a report, particulate matter concentrations have risen to their highest level since January. While most of the stations, as published on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website, had air quality readings below 200 on Tuesday morning, Malad West and Deonar had readings above 200, placing them in the “bad category.”
2. Pune
On the day after Diwali, Pune’s air quality was rated as “satisfactory,” with a score of 45. Though the city’s air quality may drop to the “moderate” category, it is anticipated that Pune’s air quality will stay “moderate” for the following three days.
3. Bengaluru
While the AQI in the state capital of Karnataka generally fluctuated between “moderate” and “satisfactory” at most stations, the Silkboard monitoring station recorded readings that fell into the “bad” category.
4. Chennai
Most stations in Tamil Nadu’s capital city stations reported “bad” air quality. Only Kodungaiyur station had air quality levels considered to be “moderate.”
5. Kolkata
Delhi has a solid reason to be envious of Bengal’s capital, where most monitoring stations’ air quality indices fell into the “excellent” range.
According to IQAir, Lahore in Pakistan was the most polluted city in the world on Diwali, followed by Delhi. Despite this, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that the Delhi air quality was the greatest on Diwali in four years.
Also Read: The Record-Breaking Delhi Heat Wave Increased the Vulnerability of Half of Delhi’s Population
