New Delhi: The air quality in Delhi worsened on Wednesday, stoking fears of a severe uptick in pollution levels on Diwali day amid concerns that widespread violations of the firecracker ban, even as Delhi Police flying squads fanned out across the city to crack down on the sale and use of crackers.
The average 24-hour air quality index (AQI) at 4pm was 314 on Wednesday, up from 303 a day earlier, with both readings in the “very poor” range.
On Wednesday alone, police teams across the city seized around 1,200 kg of firecrackers smuggled in from Dehradun and Gurugram, among others, and arrested at least six people for storing and selling the contraband. However, it was not immediately clear if there have been any arrests yet for bursting crackers in Delhi.
“Around 4.30pm on Wednesday, you could see a cloud of smoke and dust circling over northwest India, including Delhi, and Pakistan. Expect air quality to get worse in the region. The forecast says that the level of PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) is likely to remain in the 120-250ug/m3 range,” said Pawan Gupta, a research scientist at the Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR), Universities Space Research Association.
In India, the acceptable 24-hour exposure to PM 2.5 is 60ug/m3.
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