The air pollution level in the national Capital this Diwali went several notches down unlike last year, claimed the Delhi Government on Thrusday while the Central Government’s air monitoring body said the air quality turned “severe”, a category used to describe the highest level of pollution.
“This year’s Diwali has brought good news for Delhiites as lesser smoke and pollution were caused,” a Delhi Government statement said.
Comparing this year’s pollution level with the past year, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) said pollution level this Diwali was lower.
The data from DPCC — a Delhi Government agency — revealed that the maximum average values of SO2, NO2 and PM 2.5 were lower on this Diwali compared to their corresponding values on the same occasion in 2014.
The Ambient Air Quality monitoring was conducted at six locations — RK Puram, Mandir Marg, Punjabi Bagh, Civil lines, Anand Vihar and the Indira Gandhi International airport.
“This year on Diwali day, the average concentration of NO2 varied from 37.0 ug/m3 to 79.0 ug/m3 whereas last year, the average concentration of NO2 varied from 39 ug/m3 to 194 ug/m3,” Delhi Government statement said.
However, in doing so the State Government contradicted claim made by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) of the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences that termed Delhi air quality as “severe”. According to SAFAR’s data, pollution levels have increased consistently this year due to several factors, including cooler temperature and burning of paddy in neighbouring States.
The data pointed out that the morning after Diwali, Delhi University was the most polluted spot in the city with PM 2.5 and PM 10 being recorded as 446 and 439. SAFAR’s IGI Airport station recorded PM 2.5 at 478 and PM 10 at 439.
As per the National Air Quality Index, air in the “severe” category affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases. Residential areas such as Punjabi Bagh, R K Puram also had pollution in the “severe” category.
The meteorological department had cautioned that pollution level during Diwali night would be “severe” due to fireworks and bursting of firecrackers and had advised people 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, had said.