Thick smog shrouds New Delhi after Diwali fireworks, air quality turns hazardous
As-salamu alaykum. Thick smog covered India’s capital on Tuesday after many people celebrated Diwali with fireworks, sending pollution to hazardous levels across the city. Firecrackers were lit late into Monday night, filling the air with smoke and tiny particles that mixed with the usual seasonal pollution and calm weather. By Tuesday morning, the Air Quality Index was above 350 in several neighborhoods, a level considered severe and unsafe to breathe. Visibility fell in parts of the city as a gray haze hid streets, tall buildings and historical sites. “I have never seen anything like this before. We can’t see anything here because of pollution,” said Vedant Pachkande, a tourist visiting New Delhi. India’s top court recently relaxed a blanket ban on firecrackers in the city for Diwali, allowing limited use of so-called “green firecrackers” that are meant to emit fewer pollutants. Developed by federal research institutes, they aim to cut particulate and gas emissions by about 30 percent. The court allowed them during specific hours from Saturday to Tuesday, but many people did not follow the timing rules. New Delhi and its wider metropolitan area, home to over 30 million residents, often ranks among the world’s most polluted cities in winter when Diwali fireworks are combined with cooler weather and smoke from crop-burning in nearby states. Local authorities have put measures in place to try to reduce pollution, such as limiting construction and restricting diesel generators. Still, environmentalists say long-term fixes are needed - cleaner energy and stricter vehicle-emissions controls - to prevent the yearly crisis. A recent study also found that rising pollution is reducing the amount of strong sunlight reaching India. Scientists reported a steady decline in sunshine hours across much of the country, linked to increasing aerosols from industrial emissions, burning biomass and vehicle pollution. “We see a greater impact in more polluted regions such as northern India,” said Manoj K. Srivastava, a scientist involved in the study. The drop in sunshine can affect solar power generation, agricultural productivity, and people’s health and local environments.
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