New Delhi, As Delhiites stepped out to celebrate Diwali on Sunday evening, the familiar festivities of lights and firecrackers came with a haze of pollution, with the city’s instantaneous Air Quality Index standing at 371 at 7 pm, in the ‘very poor’ category.
Of the 59 monitoring stations that recorded data at 7 pm, 19 were in the ‘severe’ category, seven in the ‘poor’ and the remaining 33 in the ‘very poor’. The worst AQI was recorded at Jahangirpuri at 460. An AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as ‘good’, 51 and 100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 as ‘poor’, 301 and 400 as ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 as ‘severe’, according to the Central Pollution Control Board . The city’s average AQI for the day settled at 376 in the ‘very poor’ category, amid a deteriorating pollution situation. It had stood at 369 on Saturday.
The transport sector was set to be the largest contributor to the city’s pollution on Sunday, accounting for 19 per cent, according to the Decision Support System for Delhi. Weather and air quality experts have attributed the anticipated deterioration to firecrackers, vehicular emissions and the ongoing peak period of stubble burning in neighbouring states, with unfavourable meteorological conditions further aggravating the situation. The air quality is forecast to turn ‘severe’ on Monday following Diwali celebrations, with vehicular emissions and the peak stubble-burning season expected to add to the pollution burden.
