NNWN / New Delhi, 2017-10-20

The pollution level in Delhi and NCR was the most talked about issue throughout the day on Friday . Experts on environmental issues remained busy analysing the impact of the Supreme Court's ban on the sale of fire crackers in Delh-NCR and concluded that the air pollution level was high yet it was lower than last year. The leading environment NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has stated that despite the cracker ban, air pollution levels breached the emergency standards on Diwali night. But it is also clear that without the ban on sale of firecrackers, the levels would have been far worse. Calm wind and more moisture in the air on the post-Diwali morning worsened the pollution build-up.
Releasing the analysis, Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE, said: “It is clear that the Delhi-NCR region requires a longer term and systemic action than a one-off ban. The Supreme Court has already ordered a phase down strategy with the help of regulation of chemicals, standards, reduced quantum of crackers, controlled bursting of crackers through community events, locational controls etc. This must be implemented without delay for a longer term solution to the problem.”  “Delhi and NCR cannot continue to remain on emergency mode all the time to address this public health crisis. This demands longer term strategy to control pollution from continuous sources, including motor vehicles and industry, while curbing episodic pollution from firecrackers and farm fires. A comprehensive action plan must combine short and long term strategies for vehicles, industry, waste burning and construction activities for more sustained and longer term gains,“ she added.
The CSE tracked hourly data from about 13 air quality monitoring stations of the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and India Meteorological Department to track the changes in air quality during Diwali. According to CSE analysis, pre-Diwali level this year much cleaner than previous year: This year pre-Diwali pollution has been lower than the pre-Diwali pollution of 2016. Last year the pre-Diwali pollution had already hit the severe level (4.9 times the standard) whereas this year it remained within very poor category (2.9 times higher than the standard). Other steps including closure of Badarpur Power Station and conventional brick kilns and stronger action on trucks etc as part of the graded response action plan contributed to this trend.  Night time pollution three to four times higher than day time pollution in Delhi and NCR town: Night time pollution in Delhi and NCR towns has been three to four times higher than the day time pollution on Diwali day. During the day (about 13 hour average – 6 am to 7 pm) the levels in Delhi and NCR town of Gurugram and Gaziabad were in very poor category (Delhi - 139 microgramme per cu m; Gurugram -121 microgramme per cu m; and Gaziabad -142 microgramme per cu m). However, during Diwali night (about 12 hour average - 7PM to 7AM) the levels in Delhi, Gurugram and Gaziabad were in emergency level. (Delhi- 548 microgramm per cu m; Gurugram – 382 microgramme per cu m; Gaziabad – 501 microgramem per cu m).