Delhi's air quality in 'severe' category as AQI hits alarming level after 3 days of Diwali

livemint.com:

air quality, even after three days of firecracker-burning on the occasion of Diwali. Delhi remained locked in the shackles of smog created by crackers bursting on the festival of lights. Delhi Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand on Tuesday took stock took stock of the implementation of measures to control air pollution at the Jonti Border area and reviewed the ground situation there.

Speaking to ANI, the minister said, “Pollution in Delhi has been on the rise after Diwali. We have to reduce the pollution level in Delhi and our government is continuously working for it. We have been asking the locals to cooperate." On Monday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai stated that the pollution control measures under stage four of the GRAP are currently underway in the national capital.

“Wind speed was expected to slow down after Diwali, and due to this smog situation has developed. After firecrackers burst as well, pollution levels have gone up today as compared to yesterday," he said. As the Delhi air pollution worsened, political mudslinging began between Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders.

Both sides blamed each other for the worsening air pollution in Delhi. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had made the national capital a gas chamber, and his party is silent on the internal causes of Delhi's pollution. "There are also internal causes of pollution in Delhi- 1) Dust, 2) Industrial & construction, 3) vehicular pollution, 4) biomass burning 2) Industrial and construction, 3) vehicular pollution and 4) biomass burning.