NEW DELHI: Firecrackers accounted for nearly 80 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution during the early hours of November 9, according to source apportionment data displayed on the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ AIRWISE-Delhi portal.
However, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Tuesday disputed the emphasis on firecrackers, arguing that other major pollution sources, including stubble burning, must also be addressed.
The portal’s real-time analysis attributed 80.2 per cent of PM2.5 concentration to firecrackers between 1 am and 9 am on November 9, making them the largest identified contributor during the period. However, the estimate carried a standard deviation of 54.9 percentage points, indicating considerable uncertainty.
Other contributors included secondary organic aerosols at 5.8 per cent, vehicles at 4.4 per cent, secondary inorganic aerosols at 4.2 per cent, mixed or unresolved biofuel at 2.4 per cent and waste burning at 1.2 per cent. Coal combustion and industrial emissions accounted for 0.8 per cent and 0.7 per cent, respectively.
Meanwhile, CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said firecrackers were being unfairly blamed for Delhi’s pollution, stressing that their impact was temporary and that the city experienced high pollution levels between October and January even before Diwali.
Goyal urged political parties to come together to address stubble burning and other pollution sources instead of focusing disproportionately on firecrackers.
He also said Delhi recorded an estimated Rs 300 crore in firecracker sales this Diwali, underlining the scale of the trade. Most of the firecrackers sold in the capital are sourced from Sivakasi and other locations.
Goyal added that granting permission earlier would have helped traders plan and manage their sales more effectively.