Diwali effect: Chennai and Mumbai choke, Delhi goes quiet

Greenpeace in January 2017 claimed that 1.2 million deaths in India are caused by air pollution every year.

Diwali effect: Chennai and Mumbai choke, Delhi goes quiet File photo

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI/CHENNAI: It's not just Delhi which is reeling under bad air quality on the day of Diwali. Mumbai and Chennai too reported poor air quality with heavy smog in certain pockets on Thursday morning.

The maximum city woke up to a smoggy morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at Mumbai US Consulate reaching a hazardous level of 341 at 6 am. The System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) warns that the situation is likely to worsen post-Diwali celebrations.

In Chennai, the situation was worse. The AQI touched a hazardous 685 in Manali area at 6 am. Meanwhile, at IIT Chennai the AQI reached a unhealthy level of 218.

The pollution levels are also expected to spike up in Kolkata on Diwali and Kali Pujo night.

Greenpeace in January 2017 claimed that 1.2 million deaths in India are caused by air pollution every year. 

After the Supreme Court order to ban sale and storage of firecrackers, Delhi likely to witness a less noisy Diwali on Thursday. 

Last year on Diwali, particulate matter (PM), which ought to be less than 60, reached 1,238 in certain pockets of the capital.

 

AQI data: aqicn.org