IMPACT ANALYSIS OF FIRECRACKERS ON ULTRAFINE AND QUASI ULTRAFINE PARTICLE NUMBER CONCENTRATION DURING DIWALI FESTIVAL IN DELHI

Abstract

This study is carried out in Delhi Technological University, (DTU) campus, which is an institutional cum residential area in the megacity of Delhi. To assess the effects and variation in ultrafine range aerosols in terms of their particle numbers and mobility equivalent diameter during the episodic event of Diwali (with fireworks) and non-episodic (lesser or without fireworks) event days, monitoring has been conducted. The usage of moderately high burning of fireworks shows the significant growth in the pattern of nucleation, aitken, along with individual accumulation mode particles. The different peaks (1.35-3.41×105 /cm3 ) that occurred in and about Diwali occasion can attribute to meteorology and other local emission sources. With the surge in an overall total concentration of particles and accumulation mode, the ultrafine aerosols size distribution received a single peak ranging from 35-110 nm. For most of the scenario, the maxima of total particle concentration superimposed with the minima of geometric mean diameter likely in ultrafine particles (<100 nm). During the extreme bursting of fireworks in peak time, there was found a rise in accumulation mode particles with the parallel evolution of new particles in nucleation and small- aitken mode ranges. This study makes a difference in Particle number dynamics (PSD) of occasional events and non-occasional days with a clear shift of UFP along with accumulative mode particles. The study will help in generating public awareness about the human health risks due to bursting of fireworks during Diwali festival.