India’s national capital records ‘very poor’ air quality ahead of festival season

• The saga of air pollution during winter led to India’s National Capital Region (NCR) to fall into the ‘very poor’ category on the Air Quality Index (AQI).
  
• The Air Quality index was recorded 331 in 32 monitoring station on 25 October 2018
  
• The situation is expected to worsen after the Diwali takes place in November, according to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Winter is coming and toxic smog has already taken over New Delhi’s skies. Following last year’s trend, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR regions remains ‘very poor’ as of October 2018, according to a report by The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).The Air Quality was recorded at 331 in 32 monitoring stations on 25 October 2018. And, the issue does not end here. New Delhi can expect an increase in air pollutants after November.

Unchecked factors like inefficient mechanisms to control dust, the burning of paddy crops in neighboring regions like Haryana, and lenient rules for vehicles are set to make a bad problem even worse.

In an attempt to contain the level of worsening air quality, India’s Supreme Court restricted the bursting of fireworks during Diwali, Christmas and New Years in its latest verdict. That being said, people still have the option to burst ‘green fireworks’ but only between the hours of 8pm to 10pm.

Winter in India always coincides with one of the most popular festivals in India, Diwali that usually stipulates the bursting of fireworks for two consecutive nights. But the troublesome air might not allow people to celebrate a ‘Happy’ Diwali.



Here’s a report card of Delhi’s rising smog problem over the past four years.