Delhi's Air Quality Plummets Ahead of Diwali, Expected to Reach Hazardous Levels

Strategic Insights -

The city is gasping for clean air, with particulate matter (PM) levels spiking to hazardous levels even before the festival night. At 9 am on Saturday, Anand Vihar recorded an hourly PM 10 level of 843 μg/m3, while western and northern parts of the city also hit hazardous levels. The World Health Organisation's 24-hour guideline for PM 10 is 45 μg/m3, but Delhi's hourly readings were already over 16 times higher.

Key Takeaways:

  • The city's particulate matter levels have spiked to hazardous levels, with Anand Vihar recording an hourly PM 10 level of 843 μg/m3, over 16 times higher than the World Health Organisation's 24-hour guideline.
  • The city-wide average PM 2.5 concentration was about 135 μg/m3, more than double the national 24-hour limit of 60 μg/m3, with some locations exceeding the WHO's 24-hour safe limit of 15 μg/m3 by over 20 times.
  • Doctors have warned that fine particulate pollution can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, exacerbating conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and other respiratory issues.
  • The Delhi Police, in collaboration with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, has been on patrol since October 16 to take action against non-certified firecrackers and conduct surprise inspections.
  • The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) has forecast that the air quality may reach the upper end of the 'very poor' category on Diwali day, and could even reach the 'severe' category if enhanced emissions from firecrackers occur.
  • A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in 2024 found that PM 2.5 levels rose by 46% between October 28 and October 31, peaking at 603 μg/m3 around midnight on Diwali night, which was 13% higher than Diwali peaks recorded in 2022 and 2023.
  • The study also reported a massive build-up of pollution across the city on Diwali night, with 9 of Delhi's 38 monitoring stations recording PM 2.5 levels above 900 μg/m3, with the highest being 994 μg/m3 at Nehru Nagar.

Statistics:

  • Hourly PM 10 level at Anand Vihar: 843 μg/m3
  • City-wide average PM 2.5 concentration: 135 μg/m3
  • National 24-hour limit for PM 2.5: 60 μg/m3
  • WHO's 24-hour safe limit for PM 2.5: 15 μg/m3
  • PM 2.5 concentration at Ashok Vihar: 490 μg/m3
  • PM 2.5 concentration at Mundka: 327 μg/m3
  • PM 2.5 concentration at Anand Vihar: 214 μg/m3
  • Number of burning events in six states: 991

Sources:

  • IE Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd.
  • Delhi Pollution Control Committee
  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)
  • Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)
  • SAFAR-IITM
  • NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute)