Delhi's Air Quality Remains Very Poor In Many Areas On Choti Diwali

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded to be 278, which is higher than the 268 recorded a day earlier.

Delhi’s air pollution levels were reported to have increased on Wednesday, just a day ahead of Diwali. As many as eight monitoring stations recorded 'very poor' quality air. At 9 am the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded to be 278, which is higher than the 268 recorded a day earlier, according to a PTI report.

The national capital’s overall AQI has remained in the 'poor' category — a marginal improvement seen from Tuesday due to favourable wind speed after several days of 'very poor' quality air. On Monday, Delhi recorded an AQI of 304 while on Sunday it was 359.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, out of the 36 monitoring stations which reported data, eight — Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Vivek Vihar and Wazirpur — recorded "very poor" category AQI in the morning.

The fluctuation in the wind speed has changed the pollution level over the week marginally. The improvement in air quality on Tuesday has been attributed to easterly winds, which helped prevent stubble-burning smoke from reaching the capital. 

While speaking to PTI, Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather Services said, “Although the wind speed was moderate in the afternoon, it has calmed since then. The improvement in air quality is largely due to this wind pattern”.

In Delhi’s neighbouring areas like Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida, air quality was slightly better but remained 'poor'. In contrast, Faridabad’s air quality was 'moderate' with AQI reading of 164.

In an attempt to curb pollution, 377 teams have been deployed across the national capital to enforce a ban on firecrackers. Delhi's Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, announced that 19,005 kg of firecrackers have been seized in raids so far, with 79 cases filed against violators.

To foster public cooperation, the Delhi Police have been directed to engage with Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs), market associations, and religious groups. In line with this effort, a campaign titled “Diya Jalao, Patakha Nahi” has been launched to raise awareness about the firecracker ban, which will be active until Diwali.