Along with Diwali, the debate on pollution also increases in New Delhi. The day after Diwali, the debate over raising the AQI level in Delhi intensifies in the news. But this time the pollution level on the day after Diwali has been lower than last year. Excluding 2022, this morning was the clearest morning after Diwali since 2015.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) after Diwali was 339 on Friday, better than 358 on the next day (November 13) of Diwali in 2023. The day with the worst air quality after Diwali was recorded in 2021, with an AQI of 462.
Why was there less pollution this time?
There are many reasons for the low pollution, but the most important is the weather at this time. Last year Diwali was celebrated in November and the temperature was quite cold at this time. Last year, the minimum temperature in November was recorded at 13 degrees Celsius and the maximum at 27.8 degrees Celsius. While this year Diwali was celebrated at the end of October and the weather at this time is much warmer than before. According to IMD, this year’s October was the hottest October in the last 73 years.
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The average maximum and minimum temperatures recorded at Delhi’s Safdarjung weather station in October were 35.1 degrees Celsius and 21.2 degrees Celsius respectively. This is the fourth highest monthly temperature recorded in Delhi since 1901.
In reality, when the temperature is cold, a layer freezes in the air. Thanks to which pollution does not spread in the upper layer of the atmosphere and remains below.
The wind was also responsible
Another reason for less pollution is strong winds. Thanks to the strong winds, the pollution spread better and the polluted air did not stay in one place. The levels of small pollutants like PM2.5 and PM10, which had increased due to stubble burning and bursting of firecrackers in Punjab and Haryana on Thursday due to strong winds, decreased the next day.
Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Promotion, Center for Science and Environment, told ‘Indian Express’ that this time Diwali was in October and the weather has not cooled down yet. The wind speed was also favorable to reduce pollution after Diwali night. On Diwali day, the air quality remained ‘poor’ till noon and then became ‘very poor’ in the evening. Critical ICA levels were observed at midnight and persisted until 7 a.m. at many stations. Since Diwali, a huge increase in PM2.5 levels has been observed during the night. It cannot be said what the contribution of firecrackers was because many other factors are involved in this increase.
What was the AQI in different areas of Delhi on November 2?
According to the Sameer app of the Central Pollution Control Board, today, i.e. Saturday, the AQI of Delhi is 298. This figure is at 6 am.
- Alipore 301
- Anand Vihar 382
- Ashok Vihar 331
- 319
- Burari 318
- Chandni Chowk 301
- Dwarka Sector 8 310
- Punjabi Bagh 339
- RKpuram 346
- rohiny 311
- Sonia Vihar 328
- Vivek Vihar 322
- Wazirpur 325
