The government said it would launch an anti-firecracker campaign November 3, a couple of week before Diwali.(Representational) The Delhi Pollution Control Committee will deploy 11 teams to keep an eye on firecracker manufacturers to make sure only green crackers are manufactured, sold and used in Delhi. The government said it would launch an anti-firecracker campaign November 3, a couple of week before Diwali.
“We all know that the key reasons behind Delhi’s air pollution spike are Diwali and Parali (stubble burning)… This year, we have decided that only manufacturing and use of green crackers will be allowed. This decision is as per the Supreme Court order of October 23, 2018,” Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said.
“Across India, there are around 93 companies which make green crackers using pyrotechnic. Tomorrow, we will upload a list of these companies on our website so that traders can contact them,” he added.
Air quality in the city improved from ‘very poor’ to ‘poor’ as the AQI value was recorded at 297. The slight relief was short lived, with SAFAR forecasting a dip on Thursday.
“A decrease in Delhi surface winds resulting in low ventilation, and deterioration in air quality is expected by tomorrow. The SAFAR model predicts that AQI will slip into the higher end of the ‘very poor’ category for the next two days,” the official forecast said.
The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, meanwhile, released a report prepared for the Supreme Court on a regional plan to fight pollution. The report said vehicular pollution needed to be curbed and public transportation needed to be strengthened in NCR.