Delhi records worst Diwali air quality in five years
The capital's average air quality index reached 376 on Diwali, the highest level for the festival since 2021, according to The Tribune.
Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 376, according to The Tribune. The pollution was driven by a combination of vehicle emissions, farm fires, and firecrackers.
On Monday morning, the AQI in Delhi was 371 at 10 am, which was the highest post-Diwali level since 2021. Of the 51 monitoring stations reporting data, 14 recorded 'severe' air quality, 33 were 'very poor', and four were 'poor'. Delhi Technological University recorded the highest AQI at 439.
In Punjab, Jalandhar and Mandi Gobindgarh recorded an AQI of 336 each, while Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Patiala remained in the 'poor' category. Haryana's Bahadurgarh recorded the highest AQI at 400, followed by Charkhi Dadri at 389 and Rohtak at 378.
Dr Gufran Beig, founder of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), said northwesterly winds were moving smoke from stubble-burning belts in Punjab and Haryana towards Delhi. He noted that El Nino has resulted in slower wind speeds in North India, leading to the accumulation of pollutants.
Manoj Kumar, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said that while farm fires intensified pollution in November, other sources like industry, biomass, and dust contribute throughout the year. He noted that Diwali was the fourth most polluted day of the year.
Data covering the period until November 8 recorded 4,657 stubble-burning incidents in Punjab, with evidence of burning confirmed at over 1,300 sites.