Top News

Delhi Pollution News Today: New Delhi: Diwali festival has great enthusiasm all over the country. On the occasion of Diwali, fireworks are being displayed in every corner of the country including the capital Delhi. Although Diwali is celebrated by bursting firecrackers, this is reducing the air quality. Even as only green firecrackers were permitted in the capital Delhi, pollution reached its peak overnight. Delhi city has broken the pollution record of last four years. Due to this, Delhiites are suffocated and the air is polluted.

On the night of Diwali, the capital city of Delhi was bursting with fireworks. This has once again polluted the air of Delhi. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data has been released. According to figures, Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 345 at 4 pm on Monday, which falls in the ‘very bad’ category. Compared to previous years, it was higher than 330 in 2024, 218 in 2023, 312 in 2022 and 382 in 2021. The AQI remained between 344 and 359 throughout the night and an average of 351 was recorded till Tuesday afternoon.

PM2.5 levels reached 675 micrograms per cubic meter on Diwali night, the highest in four years. It was 609 in 2024, 570 in 2023, 534 in 2022 and 728 in 2021.

Click to read political news

Claims of missing pollution data

The level was 91 micrograms at 4 pm and gradually increased to 675 by midnight, news agency PTI reported. A low pressure belt in the Bay of Bengal slowed down the wind speed, allowing pollutants to float and not disperse. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said all pollution monitoring data is secure and the website and app are functioning normally. However, some environmental experts claimed that data for the peak time of pollution is missing.

Noise pollution also increased rapidly

According to Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) data, 23 out of 26 noise monitoring stations in the city recorded noise levels above permissible limits. Karol Bagh recorded a noise level of 93.5 decibels (A) at 11 pm, while the permissible limit is 55 decibels (A). Even in quiet areas like Sri Aurobindo Marg, noise levels reached 65 decibels (A). Therefore, it is seen that loud firecrackers have been heard in Delhi.

Click to read news about countries

Air quality is expected to improve

On Sunday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated the second phase of GRAP. Traffic accounted for 14.6% of the pollution, followed by Noida at 8.3%, Ghaziabad at 6%, Gurugram at 3.6% and straw burning at 1%. Former CPCB official Dipankar Saha said that increasing wind speed can reduce pollution in the coming time. But during Diwali, the air has become polluted in many states of the country.

Political controversy over Delhi pollution

The political debate over Delhi’s air pollution has also reached its peak. Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa lashed out at former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party, saying that AAP is encouraging Punjab farmers to burn grass, which is further polluting Delhi’s air. Responding to this, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj called Sirsa “illiterate” and said that Punjab’s AQI is only 156, which clearly shows that pollution is caused by something else.