Diwali Weather: Despite Cracker Ban, Delhi’s Air Quality Is Likely To Be ‘Severe’ Tonight
New Delhi:
Delhi’s air quality remains “very poor” today and firecracker emissions and calm winds can carry it into the “severe” zone, according to government agencies and climate experts.
The air quality monitor of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, SAFAR, said that the concentration of PM2.5 in Delhi on Diwali is likely to be the lowest in the last four years if no firecrackers are burned.
Pollution levels in Delhi during the Diwali period are likely to remain at the upper end of the very poor category in the absence of emissions from fireworks, he said.
But two factors, smoke from farm fires and stagnant surface winds, will keep air quality at the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category to the lower end of the ‘severe’ on Diwali night, he said.
Winds at the transport level have turned from the northwest and the impact induced by stubble burning on the air quality index (AQI) is expected to increase, the central government agency said.
An increase in PM2.5 levels is likely in the early hours of Sunday if firecrackers are burned, he said.
Delhi posted an AQI of 369 at 9am on Saturday. The 24-hour average AQI was 339 on Friday and 314 on Thursday.
The neighboring cities of Faridabad (323), Ghaziabad (412), Noida (362), Greater Noida (350) and Gurgaon (338), which are in the National Capital Region (NCR), also recorded their AQI is the “very poor” and severe categories.
Delhi posted a 24-hour average AQI of 337 on Diwali last year (October 27), and 368 and 400 the next day. Thereafter, the contamination levels remained in the severe category for three days in a row.
In 2018, the average 24-hour AQI (281) on Diwali was recorded in the poor category. It deteriorated to 390 the next day and remained in the severe category for three consecutive days thereafter.
In 2017, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI on Diwali (October 19) stood at 319. However, it slipped into the severe zone the next day.
This time, India’s Meteorological Department has said that a new western disturbance is likely to increase wind speed and improve air quality in Delhi-NCR after Diwali.
Light rain is likely on Sunday under the influence of a western disturbance. Whether it is enough to remove the pollutants remains to be seen, said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional forecasting center.
However, Delhi-NCR air quality is likely to improve after Diwali due to an increase in wind speed. On Sunday, the maximum wind speed is expected to be around 12 to 15 kilometers per hour, he said.
VK Soni, director of IMD’s center for environmental research, said calm winds and firecracker emissions can bring air quality to the harsh zone on Diwali night.
The wind speed is expected to increase thereafter and the wind direction will be east-southeast, he said.
There will be a significant improvement in air quality by November 16, Soni said.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday ordered the CPCB and interested states to ensure that there is no lapse in the implementation of the instructions of the National Green Court in view of the scenario of the air quality during the Diwali period.
In compliance with the NGT order of November 9 and considering the concerns of the air quality scenario in the NCR and its adverse impact on health, the Commission ordered the CPCB, state governments and interested authorities to strictly comply of the NGT instructions, with zero tolerance for violation, it said.
The National Green Court (NGT) had imposed on Monday a total ban on the sale or use of all types of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) from midnight November 9 to midnight November 30, saying that “the celebration for cookies is for happiness and not for the celebration of deaths and illnesses.”
A bank headed by the president of NGT, Judge Adarsh Kumar Goel, clarified that the direction will apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average ambient air quality during November 2019 was “bad” and higher categories.
“In other places, the restrictions are optional for the authorities, but if there are stricter measures under the orders of the authorities, the same will prevail,” the NGT had said.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Wednesday ordered the closure of the hot mix and stone crusher plants in Delhi-NCR until November 17 in view of a likely increase in contamination levels during the season. festive.
He also called on the Punjab and Haryana governments to take immediate strict measures to curb stubble burning and the Delhi-NCR authorities to strictly control biomass burning.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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