Burning of bushes will increase the pollution
The Center for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Thursday that Diwali will be celebrated this year in a time that is not as cold as before. The CSE said the air quality in the region has not yet been affected compared to the last two years and the rains in early October have kept the air relatively clean so far. Average PM 2.5 pollution in winter in Delhi has come down by 20 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic period, CSE said. The assessment covers seven consecutive winters and pre-winter trends in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) since January 1, 2015.
However, despite the improvement, the CSE found that this season’s average was still 150 percent higher than the 24-hour standard (60 µg/m3) and four times the annual standard (40 µg/m3). “The pre-pandemic peak pollution (worst 24-hour average) exceeded 800 micrograms per cubic meter, but in the last three winters the level was 700-800 micrograms per cubic meter,” the report said. However, the CSE said the peak pollution figure did not reflect the actual level as the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had set a limit of 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter in 2016-17, which significantly affected the calculation of the peak pollution level. has happened.
The researchers said winter pollution in most cities of NCR was lowest in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21. Ghaziabad showed a 30 percent improvement, the highest among all major cities, but the PM 2.5 level was still two-and-a-half times the standard 24-hour level. Greater Noida (28 per cent), Noida (23 per cent) and Faridabad (16 per cent) also showed improvement, more so than Delhi (12 per cent). Gurugram was the worst performer in NCR with only 11 per cent improvement in pollution levels.
