Amritsar breathes better this Diwali

Neeraj Bagga

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Amritsar, October 25

Thanks to less firework in the city and high cost of the crackers, the average air quality index (AQI) of the city on Diwali (Over the period of 24 hours) was found to be 262, a relatively less severe from the previous years. Here the pollution levels had hit 386 in 2020 and recorded 303 in 2021 (on diwali day). The AQI has been improving during Diwali for the past couple of years.

Yet the AQI was extremely high in comparison to normal days. It was recorded 58 on October 1. Local officials of the PPCB attributed the improvement in the AQI from the previous years to a drop in the bursting of fireworks. The AQI was worst between 10 pm to 12 pm.

Particulate matter (PM) 10 was 244.05 and PM 2.5 stood at 129.59 during Diwali. PM 10 was found to be 342.69 and PM 2.5 had stood at 208.80 during diwali of 2021. Both were categorized to be in the severe category. A random study of PPCB data revealed that PM 10 was 48 and PM 2.5 was 26.74 on October 1. Amritpal Singh Chahal, SDO, Punjab Pollution Control Board, said ideally, PM10 should be around 100 and PM2.5 at 60. These particles cause health problems mostly in the respiratory tract as they are smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5), which carry toxic organic compounds and heavy metals.

Manufacturers of fireworks at Sivakasi, a city in Tamil Nadu, have announced that they halved their production from previous Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore this year. Besides, the local firework, traders maintain that the high transportation cost, fuelled by the energy crisis caused by the Russia and Ukraine war, jacked up the cost of crackers, making these unaffordable for many.

Faring a lot better this time

• The pollution levels had hit 386 in 2020 and recorded 303 in 2021 . The AQI has been improving during Diwali for the past couple of years.
• Manufacturers of fireworks at Sivakasi, a city in Tamil Nadu, have announced that they halved their production from previous Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore this year