rai: Delhi has seen a decrease of 30 PCs in incidents of firecracker bursting this Diwali against last year: Gopal Rai | Biden News

Incidents of firecracker explosions on Diwali in Delhi have dropped by 30 percent this year compared to last year and the city recorded its best air quality for the day after the festival in five years, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday. The air quality index (AQI) was 323 on Tuesday (the day after Diwali) compared to 462 last year, he said.

“People of Delhi were very thoughtful about Diwali this year and I want to thank them. Today, the level of pollution is the lowest in five years,” Rai told reporters on the sidelines of an event where he launched 150 mobile anti-fog cannons.

He said the anti-fog cannons will be deployed at 40 locations across the capital where air pollution is high.

The minister said incidents of firecrackers bursting down by 30 percent during Diwali this year.

“The AQI of 323 is still worrying and tells us that air pollution will increase in the coming days,” he said.

Rai further alleged that the Punjab government was controlling stubble burning in the state without support from the Centre.

“Punjab reported 1,019 incidents of stubble burning on Diwali day (Monday) compared to 3,032 in Diwali last year.

“On the other hand, farm fires have increased in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” he said.