Air quality ‘very poor’ in Delhi post Diwali; EDMC sprinkles water on roads to reduce dust pollution

New Delhi, Oct 28: With an aim to curb the menace of pollution and improve the Air Quality in the wake of Diwali, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Monday began sprinkling water on the roads in Laxmi Nagar area.

Air Quality worsens in Delhi and Gurugram

Post-Diwali, Major pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 were at 257 and 249 respectively were detected in Mathura road. The overall air quality index stood at 306 and 356 in Delhi and Noida.

In Gurugram, the air quality index fell to 279 (poor) after Diwali celebrations. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

Odd-Even scheme

To combat the menace of air pollution, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government has announced the implementation of Odd-Even scheme from November 4 to 15, 2019, stating that smog from nearby states due to the burning of crop residue is one of the major causes of pollution in the region.

Diwali blues

Last October, the Supreme Court banned the sale, use, and manufacture of crackers that were not "green". Though "green crackers" were neither manufactured nor available in the market last year, this Deepavali, "green crackers" were available.

Stubble burning increased

The Stubble Burning in Punjab and Haryana make Delhi's situation worse. According to Punjab Remote Sensing Centre(PRSC) straw burning has increased this year. Earlier, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said the crop burning has increased and is one of the reasons for Air Pollution.