Delhi Air Quality Plunges to ‘Severe’ Category on Diwali Even as Pollution, Pandemic Fears Mute Celebrations

KEY STORY

• More than a billion Indians celebrated Diwali on Saturday amid twin concerns of a resurgence in coronavirus infections and rising air pollution that is enveloping the country’s north in a cloud of thick toxic smog.

• Though Diwali is typically celebrated by socialising, exchanging gifts and setting off fireworks, the pandemic this year is upending some of the celebrations, particularly in New Delhi, which has seen a renewed spike in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, recording more new cases than any other Indian state.

• On Saturday, many temples across the country streamed prayer sessions online to avoid large gatherings. In New Delhi, worried residents opted for low-key celebrations. Some even stayed home and didn’t visit friends or relatives.

• “It’s not the usual Diwali,” said Vishwas Malik, 47, a professor in New Delhi. “The exchange of gifts is less and we have not interacted with people. We have not visited people’s homes because of the fear of the coronavirus.”

• In a bid to encourage people to stay home, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his ministers held a prayer ceremony at a grand temple. The prayers were broadcast on television and social media.

• Kejriwal said last week that the pandemic was spreading fast in the capital due to the rising air pollution.

• He appealed to people to not burst firecrackers on Diwali, in hopes of mitigating the harmful effect of toxic air on those who are more vulnerable during the pandemic.

CONCLUSION

• Despite the cracker ban, Delhi recorded “severe” air quality on Saturday evening with stubble burning accounting for 32 per cent of the city’s PM2.5 pollution and calm winds worsening the situation as they allowed accumulation of pollutants, weather officials said.

• Shoppers in New Delhi had been packing markets across the country, prompting concerns among health experts who warned that crowded celebrations could cause a virus resurgence that could batter India’s healthcare system.

• But ahead of Diwali, messages encouraging people to stay home during the festival whizzed around the city via WhatsApp. “This Diwali is more about survival. It is about being grateful that we are still able to breathe and be alive for this day. Please stay home,” read one such message.