New Delhi: The din and festivities of Diwali is over and all that remains now on the streets is smoke and dust. But the city that has had the most toxic Diwali is Delhi.
All the key pollution indicators – sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and suspended particulate matter (SPM) – have shot up in the Capital, reversing the trend of declining Diwali pollution since 2004.
“SPM levels which were declining till 2004 have increased. Sulphur dioxide levels, which were increasing have shot above the prescribed standards and respirable suspended particulate matter has increased by 12 times. It’s very worrying,” Research Associate at Centre for Science and Environment, Vivek Chatopadhyay said.
The Central Pollution Control Board has attributed this rise in pollution to adverse meteorological conditions like a dip in the average temperature, wind speed and mixing height, because of which pollutants accumulated at a lower level. The Board also blames increased pollution in the city to bad weather.
Meanwhile, reports say that noise levels have shot up for the first time in the last three years, indicating that more crackers were burst this time around.
And the biggest culprit in this act was West Delhi in the Capital. The area saw pollutant levels breach even the prescribed standards. Sulphur dioxide as high as 113, nitrogen dioxide 91 and SPM was over 1,400 mirco grams per cubic meter. Experts blame not just residents but the quality of crackers in the market.
Delhi may have had a bad run but scientists in Bangalore say that pollution levels in the city have also risen.
However, Chennai Pollution Board claims that air quality has in fact improved by 15 per cent over the last year and that some of their green campaigns may have worked.
So, its Delhi's smog that has worsened matters this Diwali.
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