Death by Diwali: When Delhi woke up in a gas chamber

Diwali is over and all we are left with now is a boatload of confectionary, a holiday hangover (also, a real one too) and a stubborn layer of smog and a lingering stench of firecrackers. Sure, we like to believe that all that smoke we managed to produce on Diwali will rid us of mosquitoes. We also love to believe that we pollute the earth enough on a daily basis to go about it guilt-free for this one day, but the worst is upon us - and we can no longer ignore it.

Cities being polluted throughout the rest of the 364 days is hardly an excuse for being callous about the insidious wreck that follows Diwali because the air pollution across the country touch alarmingly high levels during the celebrations on October 30.

Data gathered from various stations of Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) point towards the alarming levels of air pollution that has only increased overnight, all over the capital.

Delhi found itself covered in a blanket of smog on October 31, the morning after Diwali. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, PM 2.5 in Delhi went up to 999 in the US Embassy area and 702 in Anand Vihar. In RK Puram, PM 2.5 went up to 643 micrograms, which is almost ten times the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metres and PM 10 stood at 999 micrograms per cubic metres - also well above the safe limit of 100 micrograms.

The worst hit areas are Anand Vihar (East Delhi), RK Puram (South Delhi) and Punjabi Bagh (West Delhi), where the pollution level was reportedly up to 17 times higher than the normal. Even in the morning after, the pollution levels were 13 times higher than the acceptable limit.

The air quality index for Noida and Gurugram have reached alarming levels as well. Gurugram, in the last 12 hours, recorded PM 2.5 at 617 and PM 10 at 449, whileNoida Recorded PM 2.5 and PM 10 at 512 and 419 respectively. The AQI for both these regions are categorized under 'Severe', which means that it "affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases".

It’s easy to call liberals anti-Hindu for asking people not to burst firecrackers. It is easier still to point out that we care about pollution only during Diwali. Yes, the voices asking for cleaner air and water tend to increase in numbers before and during Diwali, but that is because of the sheer amount of toxic gases and chemicals released during the period.

The numbers don’t lie. If this trend continues to spread like wildfire, how many Diwali celebrations will any of us be left with?

Also read - Delhi pollution level enters danger zone: How to save your lungs