Weather in Diwali: Despite cracker ban, air quality in Delhi is likely to reach “severe” by tonight
NNew Delhi:
Delhi’s air quality remained “very poor” today and emissions from firecrackers and calm winds could push it towards the “severe” area, according to government agencies and weather experts.
Earth Sciences Ministry air quality monitor SAFAR said the PM2.5 concentration in Delhi on Diwali would likely be the lowest in four years if no firecrackers are burned.
Pollution levels in Delhi during the Diwali period will likely remain at the top of the very poor category in the absence of emissions from fireworks, he said.
But two factors, smoke from farm fires and stagnant surface winds will keep air quality in the upper end of the “ very poor ” category at the lower end of the “ severe ” category. Diwali night, he said.
Transport winds have turned to the northwest and the impact of stubble burning on the air quality index (AQI) is expected to increase, the central government agency said.
A spike in PM2.5 levels in the early hours of Sunday is likely if fire crackers are burned, he said.
Delhi recorded an AQI of 369 at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The 24-hour average AQI was 339 Friday and 314 Thursday.
The neighboring cities of Faridabad (323), Ghaziabad (412), Noida (362), Greater Noida (350) and Gurgaon (338), which are in the National Capital Region (NCR), have also registered their AQI is the “very poor” and severe categories.
Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 337 on Diwali last year (October 27), and 368 and 400 the next day. Subsequently, the pollution levels remained in the severe category for three days at the trot.
In 2018, the average 24-hour AQI (281) in Diwali was recorded in the category of poor. It deteriorated to 390 the next day and remained in the severe category for three consecutive days thereafter.
In 2017, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI at Diwali (October 19) was 319. It slipped into the severe zone the next day, however.
This time, India’s Meteorological Department said a further western disturbance is likely to increase wind speeds and improve air quality in Delhi-NCR after Diwali.
Light rain is likely Sunday under the influence of a western disturbance. It remains to be seen whether removing the pollutants is enough, said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional forecasting center.
However, Delhi-NCR air quality is expected to improve after Diwali due to an increase in wind speed. On Sunday, the maximum wind speed is expected to be around 12 to 15 kilometers per hour, he said.
VK Soni, head of IMD’s environmental research center, said calm winds and firecracker emissions could push air quality into the harsh area on Diwali night.
The wind speed is expected to increase thereafter and the wind direction will be east-southeast, he said.
There will be a significant improvement in air quality by November 16, Soni said.
The Air Quality Management Commission (CAQM) on Friday ordered the CPCB and the states concerned to ensure that there is no failure in the implementation of the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal in the seen from the air quality scenario during the Diwali period.
In accordance with the NGT order of 9 November and taking into account the concerns of the air quality scenario in the NCR and its adverse effects on health, the Commission ordered the CPCB, state governments and relevant authorities to adhere strictly to NGT guidelines, with zero tolerance for violations, It said.
The National Green Court (NGT) on Monday imposed a total ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) from midnight November 9 to midnight November 30, declaring that “the celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate death and disease. “
A bench led by the chairman of the NGT, Judge Adarsh Kumar Goel, clarified that the directive will apply to all cities in the country where the average ambient air quality in November 2019 was in the “poor” categories and higher.
“In other places, the restrictions are optional for the authorities, but if there are stricter measures under the orders of the authorities, the same will prevail,” NGT said.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Wednesday ordered the closure of hot mix plants and stone crushers in Delhi-NCR until November 17 due to a likely increase in pollution levels during the season festivals.
He also called on the governments of Punjab and Haryana to take immediate strict action to curb stubble burning and the Delhi-NCR authorities to strictly control the burning of biomass.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
