The Delhi Pollution Control Committee on Tuesday banned the sale and bursting of firecrackers up to January 1, 2022, PTI reported. Earlier ...
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee on Tuesday banned the sale and bursting of firecrackers up to January 1, 2022, PTI reported. Earlier this month, the Union Territory had banned crackers during Diwali to curb pollution levels.
The pollution authority cited the risk of pollution and crowds during the pandemic as the reason for the ban. “The bursting of firecrackers under the prevalent pandemic crisis is not favourable for the cause of larger community health given the significant relationship between air pollution and respiratory infections,” India Today quoted the order as saying.
Every winter, from October onwards, Delhi’s air quality levels deteriorate.
Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh burn the residue of their paddy harvest during this season since it is a cost-effective and time-saving measure to prepare the fields for sowing of the other crops like wheat. However, the practice results in increased levels of air pollution in large areas of North India. Lower temperatures, poor wind speed, and other causes such as industrial pollution also add to the mix. Often the Air Quality Index drops further around Diwali, when firecrackers are burst.
Due to this, Delhi has been ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world. In 2020, New Delhi’s average annual concentration of PM2.5 –...
