Delhi’s wind Diwali The night again turned into poison. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 345 at 4 pm on Monday, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category.
Compared to previous years, it was more than 330 in 2024, 218 in 2023, 312 in 2022 and 382 in 2021. The AQI remained between 344 and 359 overnight and by Tuesday afternoon the average was recorded at 351.
PM2.5 level reached 675, experts expressed concern
On Diwali night, the level of PM2.5 reached 675 micrograms per cubic metre, which is the highest in the last four years. It was 609 in 2024, 570 in 2023, 534 in 2022 and 728 in 2021.
According to PTI report, it was 91 micrograms at 4 pm, which continuously increased to 675 by 12 midnight. Experts say that the depression formed in the Bay of Bengal reduced the wind speed, due to which the pollutants kept floating and could not spread.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that all the pollution monitoring data is safe and the website and app are working normally. Some environmental experts claimed that data for peak hours of pollution was missing.
Noise pollution is also at its peak, Karol Bagh is the noisiest area.
According to Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data, the noise level was recorded above the limit at 23 out of 26 noise monitoring stations in the city. A sound of 93.5 decibels (A) was recorded at 11 pm in Karol Bagh, while the permitted limit is 55 decibels (A). Even in silence zones like Sri Aurobindo Marg, the noise level reached 65 decibels (A).
GRAP Stage-II implemented, air quality expected to improve
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had activated Stage-II of GRAP on Sunday itself. 14.6% pollution was contributed by transport, 8.3% by Noida, 6% by Ghaziabad, 3.6% by Gurugram and 1% by stubble burning. Former CPCB officer Dipankar Saha said that pollution may reduce in the coming days due to increase in wind speed.
AAP-BJP face to face on pollution
The political conflict regarding air pollution in Delhi is also at its peak. Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa made sharp allegations against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party and said that AAP is instigating the farmers of Punjab to burn stubble, so that Delhi’s air becomes more polluted. Countering this, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj described Sirsa as “illiterate” and said that Punjab’s AQI is only 156, which clearly shows that the reason for pollution is something else.
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