Post-Diwali, Delhi's air became severely polluted, owing to the bursting of firecrackers despite the ban. As people defied the government's ban, the skies over Delhi were thick with smoke, and the city's air quality deteriorated to the "severe" category. Meanwhile, parali (stubble burning) added to the pollution increase, giving Delhiites a chance to put the blame on neighbouring states. Today ‘Parali’ trends on Twitter as people of Delhi say “stop targeting Hindu festivals’ and claim farm fires to be the major cause of deteriorating air levels.
According to data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), pollution levels began to rise sharply on Thursday night. PM2.5 levels at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium station, for example,
rose from 389 g/m3 at 8 p.m. Thursday to 1,553 g/m3 at 1 a.m. Friday. This is nearly 26 times the standard for PM2.5, which is 60 g/m3. At 6 a.m. on Friday, it was around 1,164 g/m3.
As a layer of smog enveloped the environment in the first episode of this season, residents from various parts of the city and its suburbs complained of itchy throats and watery eyes.
Also Read: Delhi's air quality deteriorates to 'severe' on Diwali night
Delhiites also shared photographs of smog in the city and demanded Parali Ban, not Cracker ban.
Where one user said, "There should be a "Parali Ban" instead of #CrackerBan if we want to fight #AirPollution," another commented, "Fact - They promote Hinduphobia during the festive season but the reality is different. Delhi is choked not because of the firecrackers of Diwali but because of stubble( parali ), industrial pollution, vehicular emissions and construction."
A third user tweeted, "Tell your neighbouring states not to burn parali ...major cause of air pollution is this. Stop targeting Hindu festival you namesake Hindu."
The Air Quality Early Warning System for the national capital Delhi, predicts that the AQI will remain in the 'severe' category on Friday, with firecrackers, stubble burning, and weather conditions all contributing to the drop. With heavy winds, the AQI could improve to the 'very poor' bracket on November 6 and 7.