Delhi government gears up for Diwali as residents 'breathe' short-lived sigh of relief

New Delhi: With Diwali festivities coming up, the Delhi government is set to launch its anti-firecracker campaign from November 3, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday, urging residents not to burn crackers given the seriousness of the situation as the pandemic rages on. However, weeks before Diwali, the city breathed a sigh of relief as the air quality here improved marginally on Wednesday - a development that is expected to be short-lived.

Rai appealed to Delhiites to start a "no cracker" campaign, adding that Delhi has two main reasons behind pollution — Diwali and Parali — therefore strict enforcement of green crackers will take place and violators will be punished.

He said that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had been directed to form 11 special teams to keep a vigil on the enforcement of the decision. The teams will include engineers, five environmental marshals with vehicles who will keep a check on manufacturers across the Capital.

"Across India, there are around 93 companies which make green crackers using pyrotechnics. Tomorrow we will upload the list of these companies at our website so that the traders can contact these companies," he said.

Rai further said, "The Supreme Court gave the responsibility of enforcement to the licensing department of the Delhi police, therefore, tomorrow the Delhi government will reach out to the Delhi Police and apprise them about the decision."

Meanwhile, at 10 am on Wednesday, the city recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 281, which falls in the poor category. Prior to this, the air quality remained very poor for five days on the trot.

A senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department said the favourable wind speed had helped in dispersing pollutants on Tuesday evening. However, the wind speed has reduced again which will allow pollutants to accumulate, he said. The air quality may slip into the very poor category by Thursday, the scientist said.

The wind direction and wind speed were favourable for the transport of pollutants from farm fires in Punjab, Haryana and neighbouring regions on Tuesday. The number of farm fires in neighbouring states was 1,943 on Monday the highest so far this season, SAFAR said.

The Environment Minister also appealed to each Delhiite to reach out to at least five people and get them to participate in the Delhi government's campaign to curb air pollution.

"I appeal to every citizen of Delhi to encourage five people to participate in the campaign to curb vehicular pollution," he told reporters. The minister had earlier invited opposition MLAs and MPs to join the campaign.

Meanwhile, CM Arvind Kejriwal lauded the effective use of the PUSA technology that is allowing farmers to dispose of crop residue without burning them.