Supreme Court's ban on the sale of firecrackers made Diwali a comparatively quiet affair in the Delhi NCR this year.
However, the order did little to help keep the pollution levels in control. According to NDTV, data from the Central Pollution Control Board reflected Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) value at 319, putting it in the "very poor" category. Some areas in the city recorded a steep hike in pollution levels with more than 24 times the average level.
As per the indicators of pollution monitoring systems, on Friday morning Delhi's RK Puram monitoring station recorded PM2.5 and PM10 at 878, which is quite hazardous.
But in comparison to last year, pollution levels this year seems much lower. In 2016, the day after Diwali, the Air Quality Index was recorded at 431, as compared to 319 this year.
In 2016, particulate matter (PM)10 and PM2.5 was recorded at over eight times the safe limit. This year, however, PM10 and PM2.5 levels were over two and half times the satisfactory limit.
Several news agencies and people from the city have been tweeting images of smog and pollution from Friday morning.
Here is a post showing India Gate a day after Diwali from 2016 and 2017.
Delhi: Visuals of #Smog from NH 24 near Pandav Nagar pic.twitter.com/N1beGXWzJU
— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2017
Visuals of #Smog from Delhi's RK Puram pic.twitter.com/xifZDxIXwB
— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2017
Its not Venusian surface its Delhi with runaway green house gas. Special 🙏 to parties who made this even worse. #delhipollutionpic.twitter.com/sC7unqxmnR
— Dhrithi Manohar (@DhrithiManohar) October 20, 2017
Next day of Diwali
— kanishka proothi (@imkproothi) October 20, 2017
Time 8:30AM
Location: Chirag delhi, CR Park pic.twitter.com/pDSNuQj0ZS
Flop or not? #Twitter debates #SC ban on sale of #firecrackers as #Delhi#pollution soars https://t.co/W8XIDvqEKn@htdelhi#Diwali2017pic.twitter.com/RFR0r3i02i
— Ajay Aggarwal (@AjayAggarwalHT) October 20, 2017
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