NEW DELHI; Environmentalists have described the national capital’s deteriorating air quality as a “public health emergency” after residents woke up to a thick blanket of smog a day after Diwali celebrations, warning that firecracker emissions have further aggravated an already severe pollution situation.
Unfavourable meteorological conditions are also likely to keep pollutants trapped over the city for the next few days.
Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘severe’ category at several monitoring stations, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing 400 in multiple areas and visibility remaining poor during the early morning hours.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI reading between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.
Environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari said the national capital had already been struggling with toxic air before Diwali, adding that firecrackers had placed an additional burden on particulate pollution.
“Delhi’s air has again become a public health emergency. The celebrations may be over, but the pollutants continue to stay and that has become quite a challenge for people who have problems with breathing and various disorders,” Kandhari told ANI.
“The official AQI scale has gone up to 500; anything above 400 is classified as ‘severe’ because it doesn’t measure anything beyond. But the numbers which people and citizens have been showing through social media are horrific. Even PM2.5 yesterday went from 300 in the morning to about 1,000 at night,” she added.
Kandhari noted that additional emissions from firecrackers had worsened the crisis.
“What makes this even more alarming is that Delhi was already struggling with toxic air before Diwali, which we were repeatedly saying, and now firecrackers have added another massive burden of particulate pollution. So, with the meteorological conditions right now, it is unable to disperse. They are going to stay with us,” she said.
Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha criticised the failure to enforce restrictions on firecrackers, saying that despite the Supreme Court’s directions, crackers were set off in several parts of Delhi on Diwali night.
“Despite the restrictions of the Supreme Court, we saw last night that firecrackers were lit in different areas of Delhi. And the AQI index, almost 500, the government figures had exceeded 500,” Jha said.
He described the situation as unfortunate, saying that restrictions had not been enforced despite the Supreme Court’s instructions.
The situation, which was already serious and hazardous, had deteriorated further by the following morning, he added.
Acknowledging that the impact of firecrackers could last for one to three days, Jha stressed that the immediate increase in particulate matter could be substantial.
“There are many studies in which it has been said that it has increased by 20-30 times; that is, PM2.5 has been found to be more than that. If you look at the WHO experts, then PM2.5 has been found to be 100 times more in different parts of Delhi on Diwali night,” Jha said. - The Statesman/ANN
