Thick, hazardous smog blankets New Delhi after Diwali fireworks

NEW DELHI AP Thick smog blanketed India s capital Tuesday a day after millions celebrated the Hindu festival of Diwali with fireworks that sent air litter levels soaring to hazardous levels Revelers in New Delhi burst firecrackers late into Monday night filling the air with smoke and fine particles that mixed with seasonal toxicity and stagnant weather conditions By Tuesday morning the city s Air Quality Index had climbed above in several neighborhoods a level considered severe and dangerous to breathe according to the World Medical Organization s daily recommended maximum exposure Visibility also dropped in particular parts of the city as a gray haze enveloped streets high-rises and historical monuments I have never seen anything like this before We can t see anything here because of impurity commented Vedant Pachkande a tourist visiting New Delhi India s top court last week eased a blanket ban on firecrackers in New Delhi during Diwali allowing limited use of green firecrackers that emit fewer pollutants Developed by federal research institutes they are designed to cut particulate and gas emissions by about The court had reported they could be used during specific hours from Saturday to Tuesday but like past years the rule was mostly flouted New Delhi and its metropolitan region home to more than million people routinely ranks among the world s greater part polluted cities during the winter when widespread Diwali fireworks coincide with cooler weather and smoke from crop residue fires set by farmers in nearby states Leadership in New Delhi have implemented a set of measures to curb corruption levels which include limits on construction activity and restrictions on diesel generators But environmentalists say long-term solutions such as cleaner power and stricter vehicle-emission controls are needed to prevent the annual emergency Rising contamination also cuts the amount of sunshine India receives a fresh analysis determined Indian scientists have identified that sunshine hours the time strong sunlight reaches the Earth have steadily declined across the greater part of India due to rising air defilement according to a survey published this month in Scientific Reports a journal by Nature Portfolio The researchers attributed the drop to increasing aerosols tiny particles from industrial emissions biomass burning and automobile corruption We see a greater impact in more polluted regions such as northern India reported Manoj K Srivastava a scientist at Banaras Hindu University and one of the research s authors Srivastava reported the reduction in sunshine can affect the amount of solar power India can generate as well as the country s agricultural productivity apart from impacting local setting and people s robustness AP reporter Sibi Arasu contributed to this record Source