Delhi breathes worst air on Diwali eve in 10 years
Weak winds are forecast to trap pollution, with forecasts suggesting air quality could reach the severe category by Monday.
Delhi experienced its most polluted Diwali eve in a decade on Sunday, with air quality reaching its highest level since 2016. High farm fires in Punjab and Haryana, along with calm winds and early evening firecracker busting, contributed to the spike in pollution levels. The Air Quality Index (AQI) on Saturday was 369, the highest for the day since 2016, and has climbed from 261 on November 1.
PM2.5, fine particulate matter, averaged 295 micrograms per cubic metre across Delhi's 59 monitoring stations between 10am and 11am on Saturday, and reached 289 micrograms per cubic metre by 10pm on Sunday. The situation worsened in residential neighborhoods such as Punjabi Bagh and RK Puram, where PM2.5 levels nearly tripled and doubled, respectively.
The Supreme Court allowed certified green crackers for one hour in the morning and two in the evening on Saturday and Sunday, but enforcing the rules was deemed nearly impossible due to the vast city size and lack of compliance. Experts predict that the AQI could reach 406 by 4am on Monday, marking the worst category, due to weak winds and high pollution levels.
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