Experts warned Thursday that violations of the ban on firecrackers on Diwali, coupled with slower northwesterly winds carrying stubble smoke, will likely bring Delhi’s air pollution back to the ‘severe’ levels that witnessed earlier this week.
Scientists from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that although the city’s air quality index (AQI) improved to a lower range of ‘very poor’ on Thursday, thanks to stronger winds, the situation will likely deteriorate. starting Friday.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) show that on Thursday, Delhi’s overall AQI was 314, in the “very poor” category. On Wednesday, the AQI was 344, also very poor.
Firecrackers could lead to Mumbai worst air pollution after Diwali in 6 years: SAFAR
Diwali will be celebrated on Saturday.
VK Soni, head of IMD’s environmental monitoring research center, said the winds blowing over Delhi will begin to ease from Friday and their direction will shift to the northwest, increasing the contribution of smoke from Punjab stubble and stubble. Haryana.
“Although we have predicted that this Diwali is likely to be better compared to recent years, the weather is expected to be unfavorable. If people in the city break cookies, then the level of pollution could drop to ‘severe’ on Diwali and the day after, ”Soni said.
The capital’s AQI was ‘severe’ for six days, starting on November 6. The city received minor relief on Wednesday and Thursday, when the AQI was very poor after the winds changed direction, blowing from the east and carrying minimal smoke from the farm fires. .
Smoke from agricultural fires contributed to just 3% of Delhi’s PM2.5 (ultrafine particulate less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) levels on Wednesday, the lowest since Oct. 14.
Kuldeep Srivastava, director of IMD’s regional weather forecast center, said that from the afternoon of Diwali the wind speed will drop to almost 6 km / h.
“Starting on Diwali night, the air quality is likely to start to deteriorate. However, starting Sunday night the wind direction is expected to change again to the east and there is also the possibility of light rain, ”said Srivastava.
The IMD forecast said wind speed is likely to improve starting Monday.
The air quality monitoring center of the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, Air Quality System and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), also released a similar forecast for Delhi’s air quality to the end of Diwali week.
“Stubble burning induced impact on AQI is expected to increase from negligible to moderate over the next two days,” the Safar forecast reads.
The forecast, however, said that even if residents do not burn crackers, the PM2.5 level is expected to be at the upper end of the “very poor” category or at the lower end of the “severe” category.
However, despite the unfavorable weather conditions, the forecast says that the AQI is expected to be better this year, compared to Diwali and the days after the festival for the past four years.
“Even a smaller increase in local additional issuance is likely to have a significant deterioration impact on November 14 and November 15, and may push the AQI into the severe category,” the Safar forecast reads.
.
