New Delhi, November 8, 2018: Environment Minister, Shri Imran Hussain on Thursday reviewed the ambient air quality of Delhi with special reference to Deepawali.
As a government committed to strongly act against the menace of air pollution, the Delhi government had taken steps to contain the air pollution levels in Delhi during the Diwali festival through multi-pronged Anti firecrackers campaign with the support and assistance of various stakeholders i.e. Eco-Club Schools/Colleges, RWAs, MTAs etc.
Mass awareness campaign was also carried out through print media, FM Channels and appeal was made to the students & citizens for saying ‘No’ to crackers.
As Delhi has witnessed at least one episode of severe condition due to impact of trans-state movement of pollutants specially of agricultural burning, all the steps recommended in GRAP are already enforced. Joint teams formed for inspection purpose are in field.
Efforts made by the Environment Department, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and children to restrain themselves from the bursting of Firecrackers were appreciated.
It was observed that positive outcome of Anti Fire Crackers Campaign was that School children are increasingly becoming aware of the need to celebrate Diwali with Diyas and saying no to firecrackers.
The assessment of Ambient Air Quality as per CPCB Protocol was undertaken at 26 locations i.e. R. K. Puram, Mandir Marg, Punjabi Bagh, Civil Lines, IGI Airport, Anand Vihar, Jwaharlal Nehru Stadium, Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, Dr. Karni Singh shooting range, PGDAV College(Sriniwaspuri), DITE Okhla, Mother Dairy (Patparganj), ITI Vivek Vihar, ITI Jahangirpuri, DITE Wazirpur, Satyawati college (Ashok Vihar), Shaheed Sukhdev Business college (Rohini), Narela, Sonia Vihar, Shri Aurobindo Marg, Najafgarh, Pusa, Dwarka, Mundka, Bawana, and Alipur.
Noise levels also monitored at five stations R.K.Puram, Mandir Marg, Punjabi Bagh, Civil Lines and Anand Vihar.
Comparable data for 11 stations is available viz a viz 2017 for particulate matter, since the hon’ble Supreme Court had completely banned fire crackers in Delhi-NCR last year.
Details of data for following parameters:-
(1) Carbon Monoxide (CO)
· On Diwali day 2018, the average concentration (for 24 hrs) for CO ranged from 0.8 mg/m3 to 4.0 mg/m3. The minimum value was observed at 2:00 P.M. and maximum value was observed at 11:00 P.M.
· The location wise minimum concentration was observed at Najafgarh (0.6 mg/m³) and maximum concentration was observed at Anand Vihar (4.4 mg/m³).
· On Diwali day 2017, the average concentration (for 24 hrs) for CO ranged from 3.0 mg/m3 to 3.7 mg/m3. The minimum avg. value was observed at Punjabi Bagh and maximum avg. value was observed at R.K.Puram.
(2) Oxides of Nitrogen (NO2)
· On Diwali day 2018, the average concentration (for 24 hrs) for NO2 ranged from 29 µg/m3 to 83 µg/m3. The minimum value was observed at 1:00 P.M. and maximum value was observed at 11:00 P.M.
· The location wise minimum concentration was observed at Okhla (7.6 µg/m3) and maximum concentration was observed at Punjabi Bagh (142 µg/m3).
On Diwali Day-2017, the average concentration of NO2 (for 24 hrs) varied from 43 µg/m3 to 173.0 µg/m3. The minimum avg. value was observed at Mandir Marg and maximum avg. value was observed at Punjabi Bagh.
(3) Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
· On Diwali day 2018, the average concentration (for 24 hrs) for SO2 ranged from 15 µg/m3 to 81 µg/m3. The minimum value was observed at 7:00 A.M. and maximum value was observed at 11:00 P.M.
· The location wise minimum concentration was observed at Narela (3.1 µg/m3) and maximum concentration was observed at Karni Singh (50.8 µg/m3).
· On Diwali Day – 2017, the average concentration of SO2 (for 24 hrs) varied from 20 µg/m3 to 89 µg/m3. The minimum avg. value was observed at Mandir Marg maximum avg. value was observed at Punjabi Bagh.
(4) Particulate Matter –PM10
· On Diwali day 2018, the average concentration (for 24 hrs) for PM10 ranged from 167 µg/m3 to 1859 µg/m3. The minimum value was observed at 3:00 P.M. and maximum value was observed at 01:00 A.M.
· The location wise minimum concentration was observed at Najafgarh (241 µg/m3) and maximum concentration was observed at Ashok Vihar (1494 µg/m3).
· On Diwali Day- 2017, the average concentration (for 24 hrs) for PM10 ranged from 331 µg/m3 to 951 µg/m3. The minimum avg. value was observed at Civil Lines and maximum avg. value was observed at Anand Vihar.
(5) Particulate Matter –PM2.5
· On Diwali day 2018 the average concentration (for 24 hrs) for PM 2.5 ranged from 69 µg/m3 to 1560 µg/m3. The minimum value was observed at 3:00 P.M. and maximum value was observed at 01:00 A.M.
· The location wise minimum concentration was observed at Najafgarh (143 µg/m3) and maximum concentration was observed at Ashok Vihar (1252 µg/m3).
On Diwali Day-2017, the average concentration (for 24 hrs) for PM2.5 ranged from 154 µg/m3 to 440 µg/m3. The minimum avg. value was observed at Civil Lines and maximum avg. value was observed at R.K.Puram.
The analysis of data shows three types of location w.r.t. PM10 :
Jahangirpuri, Ashok Vihar, Nehru Nagar, Wazirpur, Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh and R.K.Puram where value ranged between exceeded 1000 µg/m3 .
Sonia Vihar, Patparganj, Vivek Vihar, Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, Jwaharlal Nehru Stadium, Dwarka, Mundka, Rohini, Okhla, Bawana and IGI Airport where value generally is less than 1000 µg/m3.
Najafgarh, Alipur, Narela, Dr. Karni Singh shooting range, Shri Aurobindo Marg, Pusa, Civil Lines and Mandir Marg are stations where values are found less than 500 µg/m3.
Real time Noise Monitoring has been undertaken at five locations in 2018 and the range observed is from 64.4 dB (A) to 74.0 dB (A), while last year i.e 2017 the range varied from 61.4 dB (A) to 68.2 dB (A).
The level of pollutants showed an increase on the Diwali Day. The major changes observed after 8:00 PM when the fireworks started.
The cumulative effect of existing pollution load and pollutants release due to use of fireworks as well as meteorological conditions like calm condition with significant humidity attributed to present situation.