Toxic smog engulfs Delhi as ban on firecrackers fizzles out

A thick layer of smog enveloped Delhi on Monday morning, the day after Diwali celebrations after the Supreme Court ban on firecrackers was flouted in many areas. The overall air quality of Delhi continues to be in the  'poor' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. 

While the Air Quality Index (AQI) at Anand Vihar is 296, it is 290 at RK Puram. The AQI in Punjabi Bagh is 280 and 263 at ITO, reported ANI. The concentration of PM 2.5 in the city has been recorded at 20 times the limit prescribed by the World Health Organisation. The haze also limited the visibility to a few metres as the pollution levels spiked. 

The ban on firecrackers was not total as many parts of the capital, Shahpur Jat and Hauz Khas area, saw people burst firecrackers. Though the intensity of bursting firecrackers increased after 4 pm on Sunday, it was comparatively lesser than last year. 

Environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari told PTI that the bursting of firecrackers was reported at her residential area Defence Colony too.  She said that complaints were also registered at the Defence Colony police station, but no change was noticed. 

"The Supreme Court's firm stance on firecrackers got blown in the smoke of the firecrackers. Despite warnings and a complete ban...implementing authorities have failed yet again. Wondering what stance will the Supreme Court take now? ...We are allowing our children to choke in the name of celebration," she said. 

Fireworks lit up the skyline in many parts of the capital, including in Lodhi Road, RK Puram, Karol Bagh and in the Chhatarpur locality of south Delhi

Many shopkeepers in the area were seen flouting the ban and selling small firecrackers to children. The effect was moderate in several other areas of east Delhi. 

The Supreme Court on November 7 said that its order banning firecrackers containing barium binds every state and is not just limited to the Delhi-NCR region, which is reeling under severe air pollution.