DPCC revealed that despite the ban people still used all kinds of crackers in various parts of the city and this situation has worsened the air pollution in the city. Unfortunately, it was serious enough to have some pollutants levels sky rocket to thirty times WHO standards in certain places.
As the air-quality monitoring reports of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) indicates, there is a disturbing change taking place in air-quality conditions. Delhis air quality was classified as very poor in the morning after ten o’clock of Monday showing an increase from poor as it was rated in the afternoon after four o’ clock of Sunday. The unpleasant post-Deepavali trend of ignoring the firecrackers ban highlights the immense contribution of such celebrations to the air quality of the city.
The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi run by the central government gives advance notice, indicating that air will deteriorate to “severe” condition on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The CPCB states that “severe” air pollution impairs healthy individuals in addition to seriously affecting persons with chronic medical problems.
This recent surge in pollution calls for more effective enforcement of the ban and public awareness campaigns on how harmful it is to engage in anything that lowers air quality. This illustrates the on-going dilemma of seeking equilibrium between conservation of nature for its own purpose while celebrating a cultural event.
The authorities will be finding it hard to cope up with the aftereffects of the Deepavali celebrations. It falls upon the responsibility of the civic, environmentalists, and citizens to cooperate and ensure that future festivals are environment friendly. Such programs will focus at increasing public awareness about the need for an individual participation in enhancing the quality of air of the city as well as the general ecological health.
