New Delhi: The Supreme Court ban on sale of firecrackers did not budge people from celebrating Diwali in the national capital on Thursday. The pollution caused by firecrackers last night started showing adverse effects on Friday morning.

The pollution level in several regions of the national capital has shot much above the normal level. Some places have recorded a steep hike in pollution levels with more than 24 times the average level.

According to indicators of pollution monitoring systems, at 6am the regular (Particulate Matter) PM level 2.5 has grown more than PM 10. PM 2.5 is that fine article that enters the lungs and can also cause cancer.

The PM 2.5 levels have gone up to more than 15 times at India Gate where people come for a morning stroll every day. The amount of PM 2.5 at 6am on India Gate was 911 microns, against a normal 60 micron.

Data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) indicates that the quantity of PM 2.5 in posh area like RK Puram has reached 776 microns at 6 am in the morning which is almost 13 times more than usual.

In Ashoka Vihar the amount of PM 2.5 is 820 micron, which is 14 times more than normal and PM 2.5 particles in Anand Vihar has 617 microns, which is more than 10 times than normal. That is, if you take any part of Delhi, the amount of pollution in the mineral particles is much more than usual.

The PM10 volume was recorded at Anand Vihar in general up to 24 times higher at 6:00am in the morning. For PM10, the normal level is considered to be around 100 microns, but it reached 2402 microns in Anand Vihar this morning.

In posh RK Puram area, the PM10 is 1083 micron which is almost 11 times the normal, while its volume at India Gate was 985 micron and its volume on the temple route was recorded at 1046 micron at 6am, which was almost 10 times more.

While the Supreme Court imposed ban on sale of firecrackers with an aim to reduce the pollution in the national capital, ground reality on Friday morning suggests amplified amount of air pollution.

The data of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will be officially released today evening. Whatever the outcome might be, the Diwali pollution has already caused damage to the residents across Delhi.