Despite comparatively ‘cleaner’ Diwali celebrations this year, air pollution in Noida was recorded almost four times the national safety limit. The PM 10 levels were found to be way higher than the standard limit of 100 g/m3.
As per the data released by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), this year, Diwali in Noida was cleaner in comparison to last year. Pollution levels have shown marginal improvement and three out of four parameters have recorded a slight reduction. However, one of the parameters was found to be higher than last year.
In 2014, the PM 10 levels after Diwali were recorded as 365.6 g/m3. This year, PM 10 levels post-Diwali touched 361.7 g/m3, against the national safety standard of 100 g/m3.
In terms of noise generated during Diwali, Noida fared better than last year. While in 2014, noise decibels were recorded at 72.7, this figure fell slightly to 71.8 this year.
An increase in SO2 levels was also recorded, but overall pollution levels showed some improvement. However, the air pollution crisis in Delhi-NCR has emerged as a much bigger challenge, than previously anticipated. Recently, a study revealed that air pollution is likely to claim as many as 30,000 lives in the Delhi-NCR region, by the year 2025. If such a scenario persists, marginal improvements in air quality levels will do very little to counter the mess.
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