Delhi sees year’s worst AQI, NGT bans fireworks in NCR

New Delhi: The capital recorded its worst air day of the year on Monday with the air quality index (AQI) touching 477, in the severe range, just 23 short of the upper limit of 500 for the index. Even as a thick haze continued to engulf the capital, National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a total ban on the sale and use of firecrackers in the National Capital Region from midnight of November 9 to November 30. The Delhi government had banned firecrackers last week after reviewing the Covid-19 situation.

This was the fifth consecutive ‘severe’ air day for the capital and agencies said this spell of low wind speed, low temperatures and a low boundary layer would continue for at least another 48 hours before some improvement November 12 onwards. While the wind speed remained below 5 km/hr in the region, not allowing pollutants to disperse, the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM 2.5 concentration was estimated at 38%.

The city recorded seven ‘severe’ air days in November last year and just five in November 2018. Seven such days had been recorded in the same month in 2017. Till Monday, Delhi had recorded five ‘severe’ days this month and could be on course to experience a more polluted November than in the past three years.

The NGT bench headed by chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered a ban on sale and use of firecrackers in towns in India where the average air quality was in ‘poor’, ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories in November last year according to Central Pollution Control Board data. The tribunal said only green crackers will be allowed for two hours in cities where air quality was ‘moderate’ or better during festivals like Diwali, Chat, New Year and Christmas eve.