IITR scientists detect new air pollutant to measure ambient air quality during Diwali fireworks

LUCKNOW: For the scientists and technical staff of the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (an institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), this year’s Diwali was certainly a special one, as for the first time, scientists have been able to quantify the presence of particulate matter in Lucknow’s atmosphere during the festival of lights.
Scientists have also come up with a new air pollutant – PM1 (particulate matter 1), whose particle size ranges from 0.3 micro metre to 1.0 micro metre. Elaborating more on the new type of pollutant (PM1), senior principal scientist of the environmental monitoring division, Dr SC Barman, said, “The monitoring of PM1 has been done for the first time in Lucknow. The particle presence was measured from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am.”
He further added that average particle number concentration of PM1 increased by 153% on the day of Diwali as compared to two days before the festival. Similarly, the average PM1 mass concentration registered an increase of 169% on the day of Diwali, when compared to normal day. Likewise noise pollution registered on Diwali day also showed significant variation with the normal day noise level.
Meanwhile, CSIR scientists and staff residing in CSIR Colony, Aliganj celebrated perhaps the loudest Diwali this year with noise levels recorded on Diwali night by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board touching 80.5 decibels, an increase of 12.27% as compared to previous year’s noise levels. Barring the silent zone of Lohia Hospital in Gomtinagar, which witnessed a dip in the noise level by 0.55%, noise levels on Diwali night in Lucknow showed an increasing trend as compared to 2013 figures. However, air pollution levels during this Diwali registered a visible decline.
Even the silent zone falling in the vicinity of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences witnessed an increase of 7.25% in noise level as compared to 2013. The residential area of Indiranagar and commercial area of Hazratganj too witnessed increase in noise level by 9.04% and 3.28% respectively over previous year. The industrial area of Talkatora a positive swing 6.44% in the noise level recorded on Diwali night (from 6.00 pm to 12.00 midnight).
Another interesting finding, which the UPPCB report mentions is the quantum difference in the noise level recorded on Diwali night and a week preceding the festival of lights. Residential areas such as the CSIR Colony in Aliganj and Indiranagar witnessed 40.70% and 40.88% increase in noise on Diwali night as compared to noise level recorded on October 15. The area in the vicinity of UPPCB office too witnessed a noisy Diwali as compared to 2013 (21%). Except Chinhat industrial area, which recorded a dip of 2.57% in the noise levels, all the locations in Lucknow witnessed a surge in the noise level on Diwali (when compared with non-Diwali day).
As far as air pollution on Diwali night is concerned, pollutants like particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide registered a dip. Particulate matter (10) decreased by 4.8% in Aliganj and 3.2% in Chowk. Similarly, sulphur dioxide levels in the city’s atmosphere on Diwali night (this year) reduced by 7.3% in Aliganj and 2.6% in Chowk. The concentration of nitrogen dioxide too fell by 7.7% in Aliganj and 5.8% in Chowk.