There is just one day to go before Diwali and a mad rush can be witnessed in the markets of Delhi that are remaining open till late in the evening. Office goers are returning home early to help their families make last minute arrangements for the festival.
Most importantly, shopkeepers are observing a bumper sale, but it's the cracker shops that are having their busiest time of the year. Families along with their children can be seen buying fire crackers in bulk. The little ones are obviously excited but the elders despite knowing the repercussions of burning crackers on our environment are feigning ignorance.
Fire crackers are in fact the single largest factor responsible for high levels of air pollution in the country during Diwali. Crackers emit whole lot of toxic chemicals in the air, and if they are non-branded ones, not complying with government norms then the extent of pollution is very high. We all know how readily these non-branded fire crackers are available in the open market.
This year too Diwali is not going to be any different. The quantity of crackers expected to be burnt during Diwali is going to make Delhi’s air severely polluted. According to the air quality index released by the Centre, Delhi’s air quality is currently hovering in the category range of moderate and very poor.
From October 22 it is going to get even worse with a rapid increase in fine respirable particles (PM2.5). However, the coarse particulate matter (PM10) will observe a slow increase.
Table below explains air quality index
| PM2.5 | |
| 252 and above | Severe |
| 210-251 | Very poor |
| 90-210 | Poor |
| 60-90 | Moderate |
| 30-60 | Satisfactory |
| PM10 | |
| 421 and above | Severe |
| 351-420 | Very poor |
| 151-350 | Poor |
| 101-150 | Moderate |
| 0-100 | Satisfactory |
In the last few days the concentration of fine respirable particles (PM2.5) and coarse particulate matter (PM10) has been rising. This can be understood by the data given below.
