Day After Diwali, Ground Report Shows Delhi Gasping for Clean Air

We went with monitors to record the Air Quality Index across five locations across Delhi and Noida.

Creative representation of AQI measurement post Diwali. 

(Photo: The Quint/ Abhishek Ranjan)

In 2018 the Supreme Court of India had banned the use of conventional firecrackers in a last ditch measure to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Only green crackers were allowed and there was a 2-hour window to burst crackers.

However, a day after Diwali the air quality index has dropped to ‘very poor’. The Supreme Court order was violated by several people who burst crackers before and after the specified time limit. There is also no way to find out if they were green crackers or the conventionally used crackers.

A day after Diwali The Quint went to various location between 5:00 am and 8:00 am across Delhi and Noida to check the AQI and PM 2.5 levels. Healthy AQI ranges from 0-50. Anything above 300 is hazardous. Here’s the ratings of five locations recorded between 5:00 am-8:00 am.

NITHARI, NOIDA

AQI: 431 ; PM 2.5: 390

AQI recording at Nithari, Noida. 

SECTOR 25, NOIDA

AQI:410 ; PM 2.5: 344

AQI recording at Sector 25, Noida

LAJPAT NAGAR, DELHI

AQI: 360 ; PM 2.5: 303

AQI recording at Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi.

SANT NAGAR, DELHI

AQI: 360 ; PM 2.5: 300

AQI recording at Rajeev Chowk, New Delhi. 

NORTH CAMPUS, DELHI

AQI: 412 ; PM 2.5: 348

AQI recording at North Campus, New Delhi. 

In 2018, after Diwali Delhi’s AQI had shot up to more than 600. This year Delhi seems to have fared much better but there’s still a long way to go before the city gets to breathe in clean air.