Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Burea
Delhi continued to battle toxic air on Monday, a day after Diwali, with several areas recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) above the 400 mark as firecracker emissions added to the national capital’s already deteriorating air quality. The city’s average AQI stood at 376 in the ‘very poor’ category at 7 am, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s Sameer app.
Several parts across the capital recorded ‘severe’ air quality on Monday. Sonia Vihar reported the highest AQI at 449, followed by Burari Crossing at 445 and Vivek Vihar at 441, according to the HT Pollution Dashboard. Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 439, while Delhi University’s North Campus stood at 437 and Rohini at 435. Other areas in the ‘severe’ category included DTU (431), Bawana (424), Chandni Chowk and Patparganj (418 each), Mundka (413), NIH Narela and Punjabi Bagh (408 each), Commonwealth Sports Complex (404) and ITO (404).
The AQI at ITO had earlier touched 406 at 4:20 am on Monday, according to the CPCB data cited by news agency ANI. The city’s average AQI was 376 on Sunday, in the ‘very poor’ category, up from 369 a day earlier.
Severe’ pollution in Delhi-NCR
Across the National Capital Region (NCR), Ghaziabad recorded an average AQI of 369, also in the ‘very poor’ category, while New Tehsil-Loni registered the highest reading at 459. Noida’s average AQI stood at 338, with Sector 62 recording 440. Greater Noida reported a relatively better average AQI of 297 in the ‘poor’ category.
Gurugram and Faridabad recorded average AQI levels of 312 and 329, respectively, both in the ‘very poor’ category. However, Faridabad’s Sector 11 recorded an AQI of 410, placing it in the ‘severe’ category, as per HT Pollution Dashboard.
Delhi’s AQI on Diwali
According to the HT Pollution Dashboard, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated sharply by 8pm on Diwali night as firecrackers began bursting across the city. The average PM2.5 concentration across 39 monitoring stations that also reported data last Diwali rose from 190 µg/m³ in the 15-minute period beginning at 7.45pm to 259 µg/m³ from 8pm, according to an analysis of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 15-minute records by HT. The 8pm average was more than four times India’s 24-hour PM2.5 standard of 60 µg/m³.
PM2.5 was the predominant pollutant in Delhi on Sunday, with emissions from firecrackers adding to the particulate matter in the air.
According to the Decision Support System (DSS) for Delhi, the transport sector was the biggest contributor to the city’s pollution on Sunday, accounting for 19% of the total. Stubble burning accounted for an estimated 3.5%, with its contribution forecast to fall to around 2.99% on Monday.
Weather and air quality experts have attributed the anticipated deterioration in air quality to a combination of vehicular emissions, Diwali-related celebrations and the peak stubble-burning season in neighbouring states.
Unfavourable weather conditions are further aggravating the situation by slowing the dispersal of pollutants. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS), a ventilation index below 6,000 square metres per second, combined with an average wind speed of less than 10 kilometres per hour, makes it difficult for pollutants to disperse.
