Diwali 2017: Firecracker ban goes up in smoke, Delhi wakes up to blanket of smog

A day after Diwali, Delhiites experienced a comparatively better air quality than what it was last year. However, the level of pollution recorded in several parts of the capital exceeded 15 times the acceptable limits on Friday. (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)

Previous year on Diwali, Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) air quality index had a value of 431, putting the air in the severe category. However, this year it was 319 and in the very poor range. (Express Photo by Premnath Pandey)

Despite ban on the sale of crackers by the Supreme Court, several parts of the city witnessed fireworks on Thursday night. (Source: AP)

At India Gate, the PM 2.5 value at 10 am on Friday was at a very high level of 985 micrograms per cubic metre, according to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) real-time readings, putting the air in the severely polluted category. (Source: PTI)

At Mandir Marg, these levels were 355 micrograms per cubic metre. At Punjabi Bagh the PM 10 levels were 1514 micrograms per cubic metre, more than 15 times the permissible limits. (Source: PTI)

Situation was more or less the same in the national capital regions(NCR), where crackers were burst as usual. (Source: AP)

System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) has predicted a cleaner post-Diwali air due to favourable meteorological conditions, helping to prevent the smoke-filled air from the agricultural belt of neighbouring Haryana and Punjab from entering the national capital. (Source: PTI)

The emissions from firecrackers adds up the toxicity in the air and make the week after Diwali unbearable. (Source: PTI)

School going children have promoted the initiative to play firecracker-free Diwali in Delhi-NCR. (PTI Photo)

The different range of air quality index level are: 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is termed poor, anything between 301 and 400 is very poor and 401 and is severe. (Source: PTI)

Delhi government in order to check air-pollution has taken several steps in the past. The steps taken by the government were odd-even-day motor vehicular ban, the banning of diesel generator sets, etc. (Source: PTI)

As per a study published in The Lancet, India when compared to other nations stood first in pollution-related deaths in 2015. Around 2.51 million people dying prematurely in the country that year due to diseases linked to air, water and other forms of pollution. (Source: PTI)

Apart from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai on Friday morning also showed pollution levels at a high. (Source: AP)

Mumbai reported an AQI of ‘hazardous’ (severe) at 410, and PM 2.5 at as high as 535 on Friday morning. (Source: AP)