New Delhi: Delhi’s Diwali started with “very poor” air quality which is predicted to take a turn for the worse irrespective of cracker bursting, according to authorities.
At 8 am, the capital’s air quality index (AQI) stood at 341, up from 314 at 4 pm on Wednesday. The 24-hour average AQI was 303 on Tuesday and 281 on Monday.
AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
While SAFAR said the air quality might become ‘severe’ on November 5 and 6 if firecrackers are burnt, an official from the India Meteorological Department said model predictions do not indicate the AQI reaching the ‘severe’ category “even with higher emissions”.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air quality forecast agency said 3,271 farm fires accounted for eight per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on Wednesday.
It is likely to increase to 20 per cent on Thursday (Diwali) and further to 35 to 40 per cent on Friday and Saturday with the wind direction changing to northwest, it said.
Northwesterly winds carry smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana towards the national capital.
Last year, the share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution had peaked at 42 per cent on November 5. In 2019, crop residue burning accounted for 44 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on November 1.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had on Wednesday urged the Centre to issue an advisory to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to completely stop stubble burning during the Diwali period so that people could breathe easy after the festival.