Delhi's Diwali air was the cleanest in the last four years - AQI was the lowest since 2018 as per data from the Central Pollution Control Board. This despite crackers being burst across the capital, even with a ban and a six-month jail time in place. VK Soni, head of the Environment Monitoring and Research Centre (EMRC) of the IMD, says that primarily, it's not human efforts, but the nature's role behind the AQI fall. They say favorable weather conditions and an early implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan both helped keep pollution relatively low. But, AQI is still in the 'very poor' category and is likely to remain so for the next couple of days. Mr. Soni says the worst of October Diwali pollution is behind us.
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Three out of four households in Delhi-NCR are already experiencing the ill-effects of toxic air, with common complaints ranging from sore throat and cough to burning eyes, headaches and disturbed sleep, according to an online survey
The sudden exposure to smoke, toxic gases, and fine particulate matter has left the elderly, children, pregnant women, and those with chronic respiratory or cardiac illnesses struggling to cope.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital improved on Saturday morning but remained under the "poor" category, with Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) already in effect across Delhi-NCR.
With the city's air quality remaining in the "poor" category, Delhiites are rushing to stock up on air purifiers and masks, leading to a 60-70 per cent jump in sales, traders said.
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