NEW DELHI: Diwali is a week away but the capital’s air quality has already plunged to "very poor" levels, breaching the hazardous "red zone" on Sunday for the first time this season – a level, if sustained for three straight days, prompts Beijing authorities to shut factories and curb outdoor activities.
Delhi’s air quality index, separately calculated by CPCB and SAFAR, showed a common reading of 318 on Sunday. An AQI of more than 300 is considered "very poor". While the city’s air quality falls to even more hazardous levels during the winter, it’s unusual for levels to rise this early in the season.
Even US embassy’s air quality monitoring stations, located at the relatively clean Chanakyapuri, showed "unhealthy" levels as per their AQI measurements. Delhi was the worst among all cities monitored by CPCB.
On Sunday, air quality was visibly poor with a light smog over the city . Contributing to the pollution were weather conditions, heavy preDiwali traffic and smoke from crop fires. "Diwali traffic has been a factor and it won’t improve soon," said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of Centre for Science and Environment.
"The onset of winter pollution has begun and as conditions begin to get colder, pollution levels will rise slowly," Chowdhury said. the onset of winter pollution has begun and as conditions begin to get colder, pollution levels will rise slowly," Chowdhury said.
"The weather and cold will mean the particulate matter stay closer to the ground. Leading up to Diwali, the air is expected to stay very poor," she added.
Chowdhury said, other contributing factors such as crop burning would also affect air pollution levels. "Already the air is starting to get choked and preventive measures now need to be looked at as the quality will deteriorate further after Diwali," she added.
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