Delhi air quality dipped to ‘very poor’ category’ with an AQI of 323 on Tuesday morning, despite the cracker ban on Diwali to curb pollution. Last year the AQI after Diwali was 462, while in 2020, the pollution levels were 435.
Wazirpur in north Delhi recorded the worst AQI of 460, while in other places like Anand Vihar, Okhla, Punjabi Bagh, the AQI hovered around 200.
The AQI between zero and 50 is categorised as “good”, 51 to 100 is satisfactory, 101 and 200 is "moderate", 201 and 300 is "poor", 301 to 400 is "very poor", and 401 to 500 is "severe".
The Delhi government had ordered a ban on the bursting of firecrackers on Diwali citing environmental hazards and air quality concerns. Delhi has been grappling with poor air quality over the years, particularly in the winter months.
The landlocked city faces huge issue of sog worsened by firecrackers and stubble burning in nearby agricultural lands in UP, Haryana and Punjab.