New Delhi : Relentless bursting of firecrackers, flouting the Supreme Court-mandated time slots, blanketed Delhi in toxic haze on Tuesday a day after Diwali, with the air quality index (AQI) worsening to the ‘severe’ category. The satellite cities of Noida and Gurgaon were no better off, with the AQI at 407 and 402 respectively on Tuesday morning. Last year, the overall air quality of Delhi after Diwali was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category.
The AQI stood at 359. Several monitoring stations were in the red zone, with locations like Wazirpur (435), Dwarka (422), Ashok Vihar (445), and Anand Vihar (440) logging ‘severe’ AQI levels. Supreme Court permitted green crackers in the Delhi-NCR region from October 18 to 20, allowing them only during two time slots, from 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm. However, none adhered to the rules as crackers went off well before and after the designated slots.
Last week, amid deteriorating air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforced stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes intensified dust control, expansion of public transport services, and restrictions on diesel generator sets. The weather department said that due to the absence of strong winds, smoggy conditions were likely to persist.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. Of the total 38 monitoring stations, 35 were in the ‘red zone’, indicating ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ air quality. While 31 were in the ‘very poor’ category, four were in the ‘severe’ category. Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI on Monday, reported at 4 pm every day, was at 345.
In an order passed on October 15, the Supreme Court allowed the use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali. The use of green crackers was confined to specific hours — 6 am to 7 pm on the day before Diwali and 8 am to 10 pm on the festival day. However, many residents violated the court’s directions, with celebrations continuing late into the night.
Read Also : Mahagathbandhan Vs Mahagathbandhan In 11 Bihar Seats, Chirag’s Dig After RJD’s Bihar List