Delhi-NCR air climbs to hazardous levels once again as ban on firecrackers goes up in smoke

Air quality in Delhi and surrounding cities reached hazardous levels a day after Diwali due to the widespread violation of the firecracker ban across the National Capital Region (NCR) on Sunday raising serious environmental concerns.

Realtime air monitoring platforms on Monday morning pegged the air quality index (AQI) above 500, with some places touching as high as 900. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium recorded an AQI of 910, Lajpat Nagar 959 and Karol Bagh 779 at about 6 am, according to aqi.in.

The average AQI was around 300 at most places, showed data recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The level of PM2.5 pollutants crossed 500 at most places across the city during the day.

Air quality index is an indicator to measure air pollution. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, 401 and 450 ‘severe’ and above 450 ‘severe plus’.

The Supreme Court last week clarified that its order banning firecrackers binds every state and is not just limited to the Delhi-NCR region. In September, the court had refused to interfere with the Delhi government’s ban on firecrackers, saying people’s health is important.

National capital Delhi on Sunday recorded its best Diwali day air quality in eight years with clear skies and abundant sunshine. The AQI stood at 218 at 4 pm, the best in at least three weeks, with rains last week bringing about an improvement in severely toxic air.