As Guwahati’s atmosphere has been calm and the air clean this Diwali as a result of the continuous rain brought on by the ‘Satrang’ since Sunday night, the city’s air quality index has improved from a satisfactory level to good with little negative influence on the general public’s health, according to the central pollution control board.
Up until 8 p.m. on Monday, the city’s air quality was satisfactory, causing some sensitive people to experience minor breathing irritation. After that, it improved to the good category and stayed there until 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Manoj Saikia, an Assam PCB senior environmental scientist, stated: “The poisonous gas emitted during bursting of firecrackers and pollutant particles like dust particles and vehicle emissions present in the air make it poisonous.”
“It is the good side of the Sitrang that it continued raining since Sunday night for which firecracker bursting did not take place. And this resulted in an improvement in air quality,” he added.
On Diwali of last year, as individuals went on a firecracker rampage and lit firecrackers till late at night, the city’s air quality dropped from moderate to poor.
Last Diwali, the city awoke to a heavy layer of smog because neither the district administration nor the police had carried out the state pollution control board’s order banning the sale and setting off of firecrackers other than green ones.
While it took roughly 62 hours last year for the air quality to improve, it remained poor for 25 hours, making it uncomfortable for most people to breathe after prolonged exposure.
This time, the scene was different since the Sitrang-induced rain on Tuesday morning prevented people from setting off firecrackers.
