Cracker ban fizzles out, Delhi records 'very poor' air quality

The ban on crackers did little to alleviate Delhi's air pollution as the air quality turned "very poor" on Tuesday morning.

The over 40 monitoring stations listed on the government website displaying the National Air Quality Index across Delhi showed the capital recording "very poor" AQI (air quality index). 

The AQI dropped between 301 and 400, which is just one step away from "severe" (401-500). On Tuesday morning, Delhi's air quality index (AQI) stood at 323.

An AQI between zero 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".

However, the only silver lining was that the 24-hour average AQI of 312 was still the second-best for Diwali in seven years. The city recorded an AQI of 281 on Diwali in 2018.

The air quality in neighbouring regions dropped too with Ghaziabad (301), Noida (303), Greater Noida (270), Gurugram (325) and Faridabad (256) too staying the "poor to very poor" category on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, crackers continued to burst through the city throughout Diwali night on Monday as people in Delhi flouted the ban.

The Delhi government had earlier warned that bursting firecrackers on Diwali will attract a jail term of up to six months and a fine of Rs 200.

Loud bursts of crackers were heard in many parts of the city, including in south and northwest Delhi, many times breaching permissible decibel limits.

In south Delhi's East of Kailash, and neighbouring places like Nehru Place and Moolchand, firecrackers going off mid-air could be heard during late hours. Many in nearby Burari too burst firecrackers despite widespread dissemination of information about the ban.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) had earlier predicted that if the use of firecrackers continued like last year, the air quality may plunge to "severe" levels on the night of Diwali itself and continue to remain in the "red" zone for another day.

Besides Delhi, many in the neighbouring cities of Gurugram and Faridabad too, many people burst firecrackers.