New Delhi in toxic Diwali haze
NEW DELHI: Air pollution in New Delhi hit 18 times the healthy limit yesterday under a thick, toxic haze after a night of fireworks to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali – despite a court-ordered ban on their sales.
Residents of the Indian capital, which ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, complained of eyes watering and aggravated coughs as levels of PM 2.5, tiny particulate matter that reaches deep into the lungs, rose alarmingly.
Air quality usually worsens in New Delhi ahead of the Festival of Lights, and the Supreme Court temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers, aiming to lessen the risk to health.
But many still lit fireworks late into the night, either using old stocks or buying from neighbouring states.
Some environmental activists said the court order had been poorly enforced and firecrackers were still available to celebrate Diwali.
“Breathe nitrate and ammonia, home grown, handmade!” said environmentalist Vimlendu Jha in a Twitter post calling for city authorities to declare a public emergency.
An index of air quality crossed the “hazardous” limit of 300 yesterday, the most severe on a US embassy scale of measurement which rates 50 as good and anything above that cause for concern.
A hazardous level is an alert in which everyone may experience ill effects and should stay indoors.
Mandir Marg showed an air-quality reading of 941, close enough to the maximum level of 999 beyond which no readings are available. – Reuters