The bursting of firecrackers worsened Delhi’s air quality as it dipped into ‘very poor’ category with AQI standing at 323 on Tuesday morning.
New Delhi: Despite a strict ban imposed on firecrackers on Diwali in New Delhi, loud thuds of firecrackers thundered throughout Monday night turning the air unbreathable. The bursting of firecrackers worsened Delhi’s air quality as it dipped into ‘very poor’ category with AQI standing at 323 on Tuesday morning.
The region’s air quality started dipping from Monday evening even though the 24-hour average air quality index (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 residents of the national capital started bursting crackers by dusk on Monday, and as the night progressed, the intensity of firecrackers increased, prompting to wonder “if there was any ban at all”. Despite the legal deterrent in place, high-intensity firecrackers could be heard going off on the ground or mid-air.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai last week said bursting firecrackers in the national capital on Diwali will attract a jail term of up to six months and a fine of Rs 200. Rai had earlier said production, storage and sale of firecrackers in the city will be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and three years in jail under Section 9B of the Explosives Act.
