The night of the Diwali, Delhi air quality turned hazardous (999). Despite the ban on crackers during Diwali, the burning of crops residue in Punjab and Haryana added to the city’s woes.
The air quality worsened in the capital city on the night of Diwali with complaints such as breathlessness, irritation in eyes and suffocation. A layer of smog has been there in the city since and air quality index is nowhere seen to be better. Delhi has been declared as “the most polluted city in the world” stated by Air Quality Report. On the night of Diwali, the PM 2.5 spiked up nearly five times.
We all know the pollution level has increased in Delhi specially after Diwali and is here to stay for a long time now with the coming of winters which brings fog. The people who used to walk daily during a pleasant evening are feeling breathless well even after putting a ban on Diwali. This year the government took some measures to stop crackers burning and for pollution itself.
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After the Diwali night, people can be seen wearing masks to breathe in the fresh air. People who are going for early morning walks are facing eye allergy and becoming watery due to the rise of dust particles in the air and an increase in air pollution. Smog is increasing day by day. This air is worse for all the patients who have been facing breathing problems and end up inhaling smoke.
Around the country
And after a long wait of five years, Mumbai breathed it’s “cleanest day after Diwali air”. But because of crop burning in Haryana and Punjab, Delhi couldn’t have clean air. Delhi’s air quality is expected still to be the worst. Delhi government already had plans in putting the odd-even rule in action post-Diwali and will be happening soon. Along with the entry of trucks will be banned.
The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), predicted that Delhi’s air quality was likely to remain the cleanest in the past three years due to faster wind speeds. But despite, this Diwali was considered as “much cleaner before Diwali compared that in 2018”.
It was indicated earlier that air quality post-Diwali days could deteriorate to the ‘severe’ category. Almost all towns have faced and experienced severe pollution days around Diwali. It has been said that the pollution problem that we’re facing is because of the minimal movement of the wind.
Government Aids
The government has taken some measures and actions. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been a watchdog for Delhi’s pollution and described this air as an ‘emergency’ measure.
Despite crackers being banned, people could still be seen bursting crackers before 8 PM and after the two-hour window provided. In the year 2018, the government ordered only green crackers which are said to cause 30 percent less pollution but this year as well, they failed to draw good responses from both sellers and buyers.
This year as the government aimed for pollution-free Diwali, it organized a laser show at central park in Connaught Place from 26th October to 29th October 2019 which got a much huge response from the public of Delhi. This was a very good initiative that attracted a lot of Delhi public and was a huge success.
This year, measures are taken by the government, the people taken to combat air pollution have yielded some results but not 100%. We all need to be vigilant and focussed at the same time to bring the enforcement.