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India gate from Rashtrapati Bhavan

Delhi’s air quality has rapidly worsened to “hazardous” on the air quality index (AQI) on Friday morning, as residents woke up to a pm10 AQI of 720+ in parts of the city.

AQI over 500 is considered to be hazardous, which can impact healthy people and seriously affect those with existing health conditions, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) while on the other hand it will also increase the death rate due to Coronavirus.

“Smog-like conditions have developed because of air pollution, low wind speed and subsidence of cold air over this region. Air is subsiding over the northern plains, particularly Delhi-national capital region (NCR). As a result, dispersal of pollutants is not possible,” said Vijay Soni, scientist, air quality division, IMD.

As stubble burning continued in neighbouring areas of Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal took the instance to initiate a ban on firecrackers across the national-capital on around Diwali and this festive season.

The million dollar industry might see another year in darkness as the governments have been unable to curb air pollution which makes them a soft and easy target to blame and get away with.

Meanwile Haryana and UP govts still have to decide if they will be banning firecrackers in the respective states to join the majority or not.

Experts have said that unfavourable meteorological conditions like calm winds, low temperatures, and smoke emanating from farm fires in neighbouring states Punjab and Haryana have led to a dense layer of haze which is unlikely to improve in the coming dayes/weeks.

The CPCB said that toxic air could affect healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases. The AQI could worsen further in the coming days with a rise in farm fires, Diwali celebrations, and the onset of the winter season.