Delhi's Dussehra Air Quality Hits 3-year Low Due to Late Festival Date

Delhi’s air quality on Dussehra this year was worse compared to the previous two years, primarily due to the festival falling at the end of October, according to an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

The analysis revealed that the average PM2.5 concentration in Delhi on Dussehra, which was celebrated on Tuesday, stood at 101 micrograms per cubic metre, compared to 89 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022 and 93 micrograms per cubic metre in 2021.

Dussehra was celebrated on October 5 in 2022 and on October 15 in 2021. Several incidents of firecracker burning were reported in parts of Delhi on Tuesday.

In keeping with the practice of the last three years, Delhi had last month announced a comprehensive ban on the manufacture, storage, sale, and use of firecrackers within the city. A public awareness campaign, ‘Patakhe Nahi Diye Jalao,’ will soon be reintroduced to discourage firecracker burning.

Unfavourable meteorological conditions and a combination of emissions from firecrackers, paddy straw burning and local sources of pollution contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR around Diwali every year.

One of the primary factors responsible for Delhi’s worse air quality on Dussehra this year is the festival’s late timing in October, when meteorological conditions favour pollution build-up, said Sunil Dahiya, an analyst at CREA.