Delhi curtails pollution during Diwali

New Delhi: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), on Sunday, released figures of how fire-cracker triggered pollution has affected the air we breathe post Diwali. Firecrackers burst during Diwali celebrations are major contributors to air pollution and sound pollution.

Director, CPCB, Dr Santosh D Makhijani said, "Of the nine locations we monitored in Delhi for noise, (we found that) the noise level has gone up at three locations and come down at one location. If we talk of air pollution, the air quality in terms of fine particles - the RSM and SPM - was very low at all the seven locations. It was much below what it was last year."

The average noise level this year was 71-82 decibels as against an average of 67 to 85 last Diwali. The loudest noise level was recorded at Mayur Vihar and measured 82 decibels.

But the air pollution has come down marginally, aided by higher humidity and a slightly higher temperature than last year.

But use of crackers made from Sulphur compounds did raise pollution levels in some locations.

In Mumbai too, as more and more crackers went off, the noise levels were on the rise. While official figures haven't been released yet, an independent study by a non-governmental organisation reflects that Marine Drive recorded 83 to 107 decibels as compared to 65 to 110 decibels last year.

Even marked silence zones near Raheja Hospital and KEM hospital recorded noise levels well above 100 decibels.

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