Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): The residents of Gwalior city woke to a murky morning on Friday, as the air quality index (AQI) reached a poor level.
The sky was filled with phosphorus released by cherry-bombs which exploded on Thursday night when Diwali was celebrated.
It happened, despite a ban on bursting firecrackers by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The AQI crossed the 250 mark on Thursday evening as the residents burst bangers.
The AQI in areas, like City Centre and Phulbagh that saw most of the fireworks, has reportedly crossed the 300 mark.
The Bhopal bench of NGT banned bursting firecrackers in the areas where the air quality is poor and above.
The tribunal allowed bursting crackers only for two hours in those places where AQI is moderate or below.
The order was issued in response to a petition seeking a blanket ban on bursting crackers in all four major cities of the state.
The order was issued on October 28 and the AQI in Gwalior a day after was rated poor.
AQI in the three other cities, Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur was rated moderate.
According to the regulations of Pollution Control Board, the AQI between 0-50 is considered to be ‘Good’, between 51-100 is ‘Satisfactory’, between 101-200 is ‘Moderate’, between 201-300 is ‘Poor’, between 301-400 is ‘Very poor’ and between 401-500 is ‘Severe’.
In the year 2020, the AQI on November 15, the next day of Diwali, stood at 313.04 while this year the AQI has gradually increased up to 381 in areas like Phubagh Point on the next day of Diwali.
The canopy of cloud over the city also indicated a rise in air toxicity as the primary pollutants SP2.5 failed to travel afar. This triggered smog that is hovering over the city.
Dr Ajay Pal from Jayarogya Hospital in Gwalior said, “The toxic air is particularly dangerous for children and the elderly on prolonged exposure. Children should be kept inside their homes for a few days.”
