Less pollution on Diwali due to ground-level actions, green crackers: CPCB

The national capital witnessed less pollution this Diwali as compared to last year due to cumulative effects of ground-level actions and introduction of green crackers, the Central Pollution Control Board said on Monday. The city's average PM2.5 level was 284 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3), the apex anti-pollution body said in a special report.

The average PM2.5 level on Diwali was 40 µg/m3 less than last year. The PM10 concentration also reduced by 41 µg/m3, according to the report. The air quality monitoring station at Anand Vihar recorded the highest 24-hourly average (415 µg/m3).

"Overall, Diwali this year observed less pollution in terms of both gaseous and particulate matter. This may be attributed to cumulative effects of ground level actions and introduction of green crackers in market and favourable meteorological conditions," the report read. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee also said less fireworks, rigorous night patrolling and enforcement measures to curb instigators reduced the PM2.5 and PM10 levels by 30 per cent on Diwali night this year as compared to 2018.

The decline in emissions of dangerous PM10 and PM2.5 particles across Delhi ranged from 20 to 50 per cent, indicating the air quality was better than previous years, the DPCC said in a statement. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also claimed air pollution level in the national capital on the Diwali night was the "lowest" in the last five years as there was relatively lesser bursting of firecrackers.

The CPCB also said it observed an increase in both daytime and nighttime noise level at 7 out of the 10 monitoring stations from where it collected data. The monitoring stations are Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, CPCB HQ, Civil Lines, Bawana, Dilshad Garden, ITO, Mandir Marg, R K Puram and NSIT, and Dwarka.

Only NSIT, Dwarka and ITO recorded a slight decline in both daytime and nighttime noise levels.