An increase in air pollution levels the day after Diwali makes air quality dangerous

A day after Diwali, Delhi is engulfed in smog, with air quality in certain areas deemed “dangerous.”

On Diwali, firecrackers were let off in defiance of the government’s ban, coinciding with a spike in emissions from agricultural fires in various sites throughout Delhi. On Friday, a heavy layer of haze blanketed the national capital, with air quality in certain sections of Delhi deteriorating to the “dangerous” level just a day after Diwali. The AQI was hovering around 451 (extreme) in most locations.

According to news agency ANI, the air quality in Janpath was classified as “dangerous” early on Friday, with a particle matter (PM) 2.5 concentration of 655.07. Itchy throats and runny eyes were reported by many persons in the nation’s capital.

On Diwali, firecrackers were let off in various sites around Delhi, defying the government’s ban and coinciding with a spike in emissions from agricultural fires. The proportion of agricultural fires in Delhi’s smog has risen to 25%, the highest of the season.

The air quality in the nearby cities of Faridabad (424), Ghaziabad (442), Gurgaon (423) and Noida (431) was likewise rated as’severe.’

An AQI of zero to 50 is regarded ‘good,’ 51 to 100 is considered’satisfactory,’ 101 to 200 is considered’moderate,’ 201 to 300 is considered ‘poor,’ 301 to 400 is considered’very poor,’ and 401 to 500 is considered’severe.’

According to experts, the air quality deteriorated owing to unfavourable meteorological circumstances, such as calm breezes, cold temperatures, and low mixing height, as well as a toxic cocktail of emissions from firecrackers and stubble burning.

“Fog thickened in Delhi-NCR on Friday morning, reducing visibility to 200 to 500 metres at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and the Safdarjung Airport around 5:30 a.m. Parts of the city had visibility of only 200 metres “Senior scientist of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), RK Jenamani, was reported.