NEW DELHI SUFFERS FROM SEVERE POLLUTION AFTER DIWALI CELEBRATIONS
New Delhi and two other Indian cities made it to the world’s top 10 worst cities for pollution on Monday morning. This comes just a day after Diwali, the annual Hindu festival of lights, where revelers set off firecrackers.
The Indian capital, New Delhi, topped the list with an air quality index (AQI) figure of 420, falling into the ‘hazardous’ category according to Swiss group IQAir. This was exacerbated by a thick layer of smog that had begun to circulate in the city, raising the AQI to an alarming 680 a little after midnight.
In addition to New Delhi, Kolkata in India’s east ranked fourth with an AQI of 196, while Mumbai was eighth with an AQI of 163. An AQI level of 400-500 is considered a danger to those with existing diseases, while a level of 150-200 brings discomfort to people with asthma, lung, and heart problems.
The pollution in India is known to deteriorate every year ahead of winter, when cold air traps pollutants from vehicles, industry, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning. Despite bans on firecrackers in the capital, these bans are rarely enforced, leading to a significant rise in pollution levels.
New Delhi authorities postponed an earlier decision to restrict the use of vehicles after a brief spell of rain brought some respite from a week-long exposure to toxic air. The local government plans to review the decision after Diwali.
The severe pollution has raised concerns about the public health impacts and has once again brought the issue of air quality to the forefront in India.
Reporting by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Edwina Gibbs