Post Diwali Delhi struggles to breathe as air quality turns hazardous

New Delhi: Delhi and its adjoining areas such as Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad are again back to its annual encounter with the extreme air pollution post-Diwali.

At around 10 in the morning, the air quality index (AQI) was docking at 423, which falls in the hazardous category, said System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

If one looks closely, on the Diwali night (October 29), the PM 2.5 level spiked by nearly five times. The data pointed towards the violation of the Supreme Court's ruling that set a two- hour window for bursting crackers on the Hindu festival.

People residing in Delhi-NCR on Wednesday complained of breathlessness, eye irritation and suffocation due to thick blanket of smog in the air.

"The pollution level has increased in Delhi especially after Diwali. I feel breathless while going for a walk. There should be a complete ban on the bursting of crackers. The government must also take some stringent measures to curb the menace of stubble burning," Manju Singh, a resident of Shahdara area of New Delhi.

Another local, Dharmendra Singh of Chandni Chowk told ANI that she has developed eye allergy due to increase of the dust particles in the air. "My eyes have become watery due to air pollution. There so much of smog in Delhi and its nearby areas. I do not know what to do."

Asha Dhavan of Greater Noida said that asthmatic patients are the worst ones to be hit by the poor quality of air. "The excess pollution during Diwali makes life difficult for everyone; we all end up inhaling smoke. It is tough to breathe."

To combat the menace, the Arvind Kejriwal led government in Delhi has decided to enforce much stricter traffic rules in the capital odd- and even-numbered private cars will only be allowed on the road on odd- or even-numbered calendar days from November 4 to 15.