Delhi Pollution: AQI Worsens Ahead Of Diwali, Residents Call It 'Suffocating'

The air quality in the national capital has worsened ahead of Diwali, prompting the Delhi government to ban firecrackers in a bid to curb the pollution, which has been at the center of political debates in the last few days.

Representational Image. (ANI)

Delhi Air Pollution: With Diwali a few days ago, the air quality in the national capital has deteriorated. On Sunday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 352, in the 'very poor' category, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). This is worse than the average AQI recorded at 255 on Saturday, categorized as 'poor'.

Moreover, AQI in the Anand Vihar area crossed the 400 mark, being recorded as 405 at 7 AM, categorized as 'severe', worse than the AQI of 367 recorded on Saturday. AQI at the Akshardham Temple deteriorated 261, whereas IGI airport recorded an AQI of 324, both categorized as 'very poor'. A layer of thick smog enveloped certain parts of the national capital.

Residents of the national capital felt that the rising pollution in the city felt suffocating and urged the city government to intervene to reduce pollution. Himanshu, a visitor to the capital, said that the increasing pollution feels 'suffocating.' "It feels suffocating due to pollution... The government should look into what can be done to reduce pollution," he told news agency ANI.

Moreover, a cyclist in the city told ANI that they are facing a lot of problems with breathing. "We are from Delhi, and we (the cyclist group) cycle daily here, but with this situation of air pollution since the last few days, we are facing a lot of problems. We can't breathe properly; we get tired faster due to the pollution. We take precautions like wearing a bandana, but nothing is working because the pollution is increasing a lot," he said.

He further said that the measures taken by the government don't seem effective enough, and the government should encourage the people to use public transport more. "The government did some work, like stopping construction and implementing odd-even, but it doesn't seem like it is working as this is increasing day by day. There should be constructive measures to encourage people to use public transport and carpool," he added.

In response to the increasing pollution and worsening air quality, the Delhi government has taken few steps to curb pollution. As the festival of lights nears, the Atishi Singh-led government in Delhi has banned fireworks till January 1. Moreover, toxic foam on the Yamuna river in the Kalindi Kunj area persisted.

Earlier the pollution in the river was at the center of hot political debate between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with BJP leader Shazia Ilmi criticizing the Delhi government for its handling of the city's worsening pollution crisis, highlighting the alarming presence of toxic foam in the River Yamuna and the resulting breathing difficulties for residents.

"BJP leader Virendraa Sachdeva has fallen ill. Two days ago, he took a dip in the Yamuna River. Today he is admitted to the hospital...This is an issue connected to the health of the public in Delhi. Where have the Rs 3000 crore meant for the public of Delhi and Yamuna River? The public of Delhi is not able to breathe... Toxic foam is floating on the Yamuna River," Ilmi told ANI.

Notably, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai slammed the saffron  party and accused it of contributing to the increasing pollution in the national capital. "The BJP is the party that creates pollution and seems to believe that only drama can solve it. I think all governments and parties need to work together. I wish them good health, but stopping these theatrics alone won't reduce pollution. This reflects the BJP leaders' level of understanding. When I was preparing the winter action plan, I had written to the BJP President, but no response or suggestions have come so far," he told ANI.

(With ANI Inputs)