The city’s air quality oscillated between “poor” and “very poor” on the eve of Diwali, with fireworks and bursting of crackers during the festival expected to dangerously shoot up the level of suspended particulate matter.
The evening readings of Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and System of Air Quality, Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) stations, when firecrackers started going off in various areas of the city, indicated a grim picture for the days to come.
PM 10 levels in Anand Vihar, a trans-Yamuna locality, was recorded at 721 micrograms per cubic metre, seven times the safe limit of 100. PM 2.5 was at 219, also way above the safe limit of 219 as per DPCC readings at around 5 pm on Tuesday.
SAFAR station at north west Delhi’s Pitampura showed PM 2.5 and PM 10 readings at 303 and 297 respectively, that fell in the “very poor” category. The international airport area also showed increased readings at 325 (PM 2.5) and 287 (PM10) respectively.
Level of PM 2.5 and PM 10, fine particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, were high across residential areas across the capital like Mandir Marg, Punjabi Bagh, R.K. Puram, Pusa Road, Civil Lines among others.
On Monday, the meteorological department cautioned that pollution level during Diwali night is expected to be “severe” due to bursting of firecrackers and advised those persons with heart and lung diseases to stay indoors.
In all likelihood, air quality during Diwali-2015 is going to be inferior to that of Diwali-2014, owing to cooler temperature and downward shift of inversion layer, SAFAR’s project in-charge Gurfan Beig said.
The PM (particulate matter) 2.5 level is expected to be 148 per cent on November 12, the day after Diwali, and 170 per cent in case of PM 10.
