Abstract Diwali is one of the major festivals celebrated in India. It has been observed that air quality significantly worsens during the festival season due to the use of firecrackers. Additionally, studies have shown that people in Delhi burn more firecrackers than those in other megacities or cities across India. To identify the primary pollutants, this analysis focuses on Delhi, which is the most polluted state in the country. To conduct the analysis, data was collected from six air quality monitoring stations of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) across the megacity over the last three years, specifically during the Diwali festival from 2021 to 2023. The analysis focused on seven major air pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, NO2, NH3, SO2, CO, and O3. ArcGIS software was utilized to prepare the spatial distribution maps of the daily average air pollutant data. PM2.5, PM10, and CO were highlighted due to their significant contribution to air pollution. Additionally, box plots were created to illustrate the distribution of air pollution data. These box plots allow for the comparison of various pollutants, such as PM2.5, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide, along with their concentrations in different locations and time periods. This makes it easier to identify trends and disparities in air quality. Furthermore, scattered dots on a graph representing air pollution data indicate individual data points. Each dot corresponds to a specific measurement of air pollution concentration at a particular location and time. This detailed representation reveals the distribution of pollution levels and helps to identify outliers or patterns in the data. The analysis revealed that pollution levels during the Diwali festival in Delhi were slightly higher in 2021 compared to 2022 and 2023.This study highlights the necessity for stricter law enforcement to reduce pollution levels caused by celebrations.
Sarkar et al. (Wed,) studied this question.