In this combination of two photos, the New Delhi Railway Station is seen enveloped in light smog on Friday, October 28. A day after Diwali on Monday (bottom), the smog cover became severe. (Photo: AP)
Delhi residents woke up to a blanket of choking, toxic haze on Monday as smoke from overnight Diwali fireworks frenzy worsened air quality and reduced visibility sharply. India’s state-run system of air quality weather forecasting and research (SAFAR) said there was a “serious risk” of respiratory problems for people in Delhi and all outdoor physical activity should be avoided.
Fireworks pushed pollution in Delhi to a dangerous level, the worst in three years, as it turned the air highly toxic due to a deadly cocktail of harmful respirable pollutants and gases, engulfing the city with a cover of thick smog triggering health alarms.
Various monitoring agencies, including the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Central Pollution Control Board, Pune-based SAFAR and Centre for Science and Environment were unanimous about the severity of the air quality in the city.
The US embassy in New Delhi said its air pollution index had late on Sunday breached the “hazardous” level. Levels of pollutants in Delhi’s air were 30 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended level in one neighbourhood.
The Delhi government reviewed the worsening air quality of the city and the task force appointed by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to tackle air pollution will initiate the implementation of its road map from this week.
As per the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s data, though the Safdarjung observatory recorded visibility at 200 metres officially, there was near-zero visibility in many parts of the city during the early morning hours, with smoke seen hanging heavy even in underground Metro stations. Several motorists driving in the early hours complained of near zero visibility in many parts of the city.
Even areas like Shanti Path, which record moderate levels of air quality even on the worst of days, had hazardous air, with the US embassy’s pollution monitor recording extremely high levels of PM 2.5, even way beyond the severe category.
The city government said that the level of pollutants increased after 7 pm when the fireworks started. “Ambient air quality in Delhi was already saturated with the pollutants accumulated due to trans-state movement of pollutants. The cumulative effect of existing pollution load and pollutants release due to use of fireworks as well as adverse meteorological conditions like calm condition attributed to present situation,” an official statement said. Noise pollution, which was monitored at five locations in the city, was also marginally higher than last year.
