Delhi wakes up to toxic air after Diwali night; AQI in ‘very poor’ category
Men row their boat at Kalindi Kunj amid low visibility as air quality deteriorates across Delhi-NCR | PTI
The national capital woke up to thick and heavy layer of smog on Tuesday, a day after Diwali festivities, as the air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category.
The Supreme Court had allowed the bursting of green firecrackers between 8 pm and 10 pm on the festival day. However, these rules were widely flouted, with firecrackers being used well outside the permitted windows.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi stood at 350 at 8 am, with most of the monitoring stations marked in the 'red zone'.
Bawana (AQI of 423), Jahangirpuri (407) and Wazirpur (408) were the worst hit areas.
Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 358, Ashok Vihar 389, Burari Crossing 399, Chandani Chowk 350, IGI Airport (Terminal 3) 302, ITO 342, Lodhi Road 322, Mundka 366, Najafgarh 336, Narela 358, Patparganj 342 and Punjabi Bagh 376.
As per CPCB classifications, an AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.
According to reports, 36 out of 38 monitoring stations recorded pollution levels in the 'red zone', indicating 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality across the city.
The air quality is expected to slip into the 'severe' category more widely on Tuesday and Wednesday.
India