Delhi regularly ranks among the most polluted cities on the planet. AFP
Delhi regularly ranks among the most polluted cities on the planet. AFP
Delhi regularly ranks among the most polluted cities on the planet. AFP
Delhi regularly ranks among the most polluted cities on the planet. AFP

Delhi air quality suffers as thick smog from Diwali fireworks cloaks city


Taniya Dutta
  • English
  • Arabic

Residents in the Indian capital Delhi woke to a thick blanket of smog as air pollution reached dangerous levels after fireworks and other pyrotechnic displays set off to mark Diwali, despite a court ban.

Average air quality levels in the city were recorded at more than 400 on the Air Quality Index, or AQI, on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board, India’s leading environmental watchdog, after fireworks throughout Sunday and the early hours of Monday morning.

A similar air quality situation was seen in Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad.

Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, was also cloaked in haze as air quality levels were recorded at poor levels, a lingering effect from Diwali celebrations.

The Air Quality Index measures the quality of air and the amount of dust and other particles in the atmosphere. Calculations are based on a host of pollutants including levels of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.

In some places, the AQI reached 900 or above. A reading between zero and 50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory and 101-200 moderate. However, 201-300 is considered poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 severe.

At Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, AQI was recorded at 910, while in Lajpat Nagar the AQI was 959, according to AQI India, a real-time pollution monitoring platform.

The city’s pollution levels rose after a slight improvement throughout the weekend due to rain on Saturday making it the best Diwali air quality in eight years, with fireworks and pyrotechnics thought to be a significant factor.

The sale of fireworks is banned by the Supreme Court, but residents flouted the ban, despite warnings by authorities that such actions could affect air quality levels.

Toxic emissions from the displays, along with smoke from farm fires engulfed the city on Monday morning, with visibility significantly dropping.

Delhi has experienced high levels of toxic air since October.

An Indian family lights sparklers to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Prayagraj, India. AP
An Indian family lights sparklers to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Prayagraj, India. AP

Authorities have implemented desperate measures to try to bring air pollution levels down. Schools have been government offices have been closed, water sprinklers have been installed and construction and heavy vehicles have, at times, been banned. An odd-even traffic restriction plan that would allow vehicles with odd and even number plates to travel on alternate days to curb pollution was also considered.

The plan has been shelved, however.

Following Diwali celebrations, many residents have complained about congestion, headaches, burning eyes and itchy throats as a result of the air quality.

“I am unable to breathe. My nose and eyes are burning. It is a difficult situation,” Chayanika Nigam, a Noida resident, told The National.

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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

UAE SQUAD

UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards

Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi

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Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm

Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

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Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

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Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

Dubai Rugby Sevens

November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures

Thursday, November 30:

10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders

Friday, December 1:

9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates

Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

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2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

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2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

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2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)

Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)

Lazio v Napoli (9pm)

Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)

Sunday

Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)

Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)

Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)

Torino v Bologna (6pm)

Verona v Genoa (9pm)

Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)

Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)

 

 

SPECS
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Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule

Thursday December 27

Men's quarter-finals

Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm

Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm

Women's exhibition

Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm

Friday December 28

5th place play-off 3pm

Men's semi-finals

Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm

Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm

Saturday December 29

3rd place play-off 5pm

Men's final 7pm

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SERIES INFO

Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
 
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal

Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff

 1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458

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Rating: 2.5/5 

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A foster couple or family must:

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5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
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6.30pm: Shadwell Gold Cup Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m​​​​​​​
Winner: AF Sanad, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m​​​​​​​
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m​​​​​​​
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

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China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

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Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder

Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm

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Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km

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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

UAE SQUAD

 

Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani

Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas

Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah

Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue

Updated: November 13, 2023, 8:13 AM