Delhi has recorded its second cleanest air quality following Diwali since 2015, with a remarkable reduction in pollution levels attributed to strong winds that effectively dispersed the dense smoke hanging over the city. According to reports, the Air Quality Index (AQI) registered a reading of 339 by 4 PM on Friday, improving further to 323 by 7 PM.
The city’s air quality had initially deteriorated late Thursday night, peaking at 362 at 9 AM on Friday. However, the sustained wind speeds of up to 16 kilometers per hour provided a welcome respite from the usual post-Diwali air quality decline. Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Meteorology, explained that the strong winds played a crucial role in mixing the air, allowing pollutants to disperse more efficiently.
Despite experiencing a “very poor” AQI classification on Diwali, with levels reaching severe levels at midnight, the air quality showed signs of improvement by the afternoon of the following day. This rapid recovery is credited to warmer conditions and adequate wind speeds, which prevented the typical winter inversion phenomenon that usually traps pollutants closer to the ground.
Experts noted that the month of October had already seen a higher number of poor air quality days compared to previous years, despite the contribution of stubble burning being minimal, ranging between 1-3%. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of Research and Advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), highlighted that while stubble burning contributed significantly to the PM2.5 levels during Diwali, with its share rising to 27.61% from previous days, local and regional pollution sources still posed substantial challenges to air quality.
On the day of Diwali, although certain areas in South Delhi limited firecracker usage, increased activities across the city contributed to higher pollution levels. While the air quality on Friday began hazy, the combination of winds and sunlight helped clear the air as the day progressed.
Though this year’s post-Diwali AQI stands as a notable improvement, concerns remain about hourly spikes in PM2.5 levels in some regions, which have exceeded national permissible limits by more than 30 times. The strong wind conditions that aided in the dispersal of pollutants may not persist, raising questions about the future air quality in the capital as winter approaches.
Sources By Agencies
