After celebrating Diwali, people of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) woke up on Friday to a thick blanket of toxic smoke and “very poor” air quality.There was a complete ban on firecrackers in Delhi, despite that, the air quality worsened in and around India’s capital as people defied the restrictions and relentlessly bursted firecrackers on Diwali night, leading to severe noise pollution and reduction of visibility.Reports of widespread violation of firecracker ban were received from across east and west Delhi with firecrackers lighting up the sky in areas including Jaunapur, Punjabi Bagh, Burari and East of Kailash.Delhi Air Quality day after DiwaliAccording to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in Delhi’s Anand Vihar at 6 am on November 1 was in the “very poor” category, with an air quality index (AQI) of 395. The air quality at RK Puram too was worse with 395 AQI.On Thursday night, Anand Vihar saw the AQI plunge into the “severe” category while PM2.5 concentrations soared, creating hazardous conditions for respiratory health.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, 401 and 450 severe, and above 450 severe-plus.Several places in neighbouring state Haryana also reported AQI in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories on Diwali night on Thursday (October 31).
The AQI level in most of the 40 monitoring stations in Delhi remained in the “very poor” category.
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