Delhi’s air quality picks up marginally; traffic, firecracker bursting set to worsen woes

New Delhi
The air quality in the Capital continued to remain well below acceptable levels in the run-up to the Diwali festival, as traffic restrictions and huge rush on Dhanteras gridlocked city roads. On Tuesday, Delhi recorded an air quality index of 268 (“poor”), an improvement from the AQIs of 304 (“very poor”) and 356 (“very poor”) clocked on Monday and Sunday, respectively, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
However, the marginal improvement is not here to last, as the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi has predicted the air quality to dip to at least “very poor” by November 1. Over the past week, Delhi has already recorded a four-day streak of “very poor” air due to farm fires and emissions from vehicles caught in snarls — a regular feature — across key city roads, due to an array of religious, entertainment and official events.
Anumita Roychowdhury, an air expert and executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, said, “The AQI on the days following Diwali starts shooting up due to the huge amount of bursting of fireworks. When there is so much concentrated burning within a very short period of time, the emissions naturally impact the pollution levels. Additionally, we already observe calm winds and lack of natural ventilation in the city as winter approaches, which helps the pollutants settle down.”
Last year, the AQI on the day of Diwali, November 12, was 218 (“poor”) which deteriorated to 358 (“very poor”) the next day and further to the edge of the “severe” level, clocking 397 (“very poor”) on November 14.
CPCB classifies AQI between 0-50 as “good”, between 51 and 100 as “satisfactory”, between 101 and 200 as “moderate”, between 201 and 300 as “poor”, between 301 and 400 as “very poor”, and over 400 as “severe”.
The Delhi government, on October 14, imposed a blanket ban on the use, manufacture, storage and sale of firecrackers.
The AQEWS Tuesday bulletin said, “Air quality may reach severe category on October 31 and November 1 in case of additional emissions from firecrackers and stubble or waste fires.”
The city recorded maximum and minimum temperatures of 35.8°C — five degrees above the normal — and 20.3°C — four degrees below the normal on the day. “Some mist in the morning hours might be observed on Wednesday. However, clear skies will persist on the day of Diwali,” an official from the India Meteorological Department said.
Stuck on city roads
Vehicles moved slowly all across the Capital on the day, as there was a heavy rush for shopping on the occasion of Dhanteras. A running race organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel also saw traffic restricted at India Gate till late morning, considerably affecting traffic flow.
Multiple breakdowns of buses and trucks were also reported on the day, causing gridlocks, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.
Even as the traffic police officials said that personnel in adequate numbers were deployed to ensure smooth flow, many commuters took to social media platform X to highlight heavy traffic at Badarpur flyover, CV Raman Marg, Punjabi Bagh, Badarpur Mehrauli Road, Taimur Nagar-Maharani Bagh Road, Ashram and Yamuna Vihar.
For Thursday, traffic police said restrictions will be in place in central Delhi, around Patel Chowk, for “Rashtriya Ekta Diwas” celebrations in which President Droupadi Murmu will take part.
Till the completion of the event, traffic will be diverted from the Gole Market post office roundabout and no vehicular movement will be allowed on Ashoka Road from the GPO roundabout. “Traffic will also be restricted on Pandit Pant Marg from the GPO roundabout. No traffic will be allowed on Ashoka Road towards Patel Chowk from the Buta Singh roundabout. Traffic will also be blocked towards the Patel Chowk roundabout and Jai Singh Road from Tolstoy crossing. Similar restrictions will be there on the Sansad Marg towards the Patel Chowk roundabout from the Sansad Marg/Imtiaz Khan Marg crossing,” police said in their advisory.
(with inputs from Karn Pratap Singh)