Delhi wakes up to Diwali morning with ‘Poor’ air quality for second straight day
Diwali is being celebrated today with fervour and bliss all across the country. Delhi entered this auspicious day with the 'Poor' air quality, witnessing no significant change since yesterday. Some areas of the national capital also witnessed 'Moderate' air quality.
Delhi air quality: Delhi woke up to the Diwali morning on Sunday (November 12) with the air quality falling under the ‘Poor’ category for the second day in a row. Several areas in New Delhi saw AQI in the poor category while some areas felt some relief with the index falling under the ‘Moderate’ category. The city had seen a significant drop of AQI from ‘Severe’ for nearly one week to ‘Very Poor’ on November 10. The air quality further improved yesterday into the ‘Poor’ category which remained stagnant today. However, the Delhiites woke up to clear skies and abundant sunshine this morning.
AQI at various places
Various areas in the city recorded AQI between 200 to 250 while some areas saw between 250 and 300. Some also experienced ‘Moderate’ air quality.
Anand Vihar recorded AQI at 267, Ashok Vihar at 189, Dwarka Sector 8 at 226, IGI Airport T3 at 198, ITO at 231, Jahangirpuri at 268, North Campus DU at 236, RK Puram at 242 and Vivek Vihar at 156.
Delhi Minister appeals to people not to burst crackers
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai appealed to the people of Delhi and nearby regions not to burst crackers while celebrating Diwali and urged them to lit Diyas.
"I appeal to people of Delhi and nearby areas of Delhi, Diwali is a festival of diyas, celebrate Diwali in a grand manner by lighting diyas but don't burst crackers and make it difficult for people to breath because festival is to spread happiness..." he said.
Situation improves after rain and Supreme Court's rap
The situation in the national capital region improved significantly after rain lashed the city in the early hours of Friday which brought down the air quality significantly from the persistent 'Severe' category to the 'Very Poor' category on the same day. While hearing the matter related to the implementation of the odd-even scheme in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Friday said that the pollution levels "must come down" and it "cannot await tomorrow".
Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul referred to the rain in the national capital region in the early hours of Friday and said that the people have to pray only, sometimes wind comes and helps, and sometimes rains. "God may have heard the prayers of people and intervened, no thanks to the government," Justice Kaul said.
Delhi government announces 'Diya Jalao, Patakhe nahi' campaign
The Delhi government on Friday announced the 'Diya Jalao, Patakhe nahi' campaign in the capital city.
“Today, due to the rain and wind, pollution has reduced significantly. People of nearby cities are requested to light the lamps and distribute sweets during Diwali, but do not burst firecrackers. We want the pollution level to remain good even on the next day of Diwali. The campaign of 'Diya Jalao, Patakhe nahi' is starting from today,” Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said.
(With ANI inputs)