Light signal
for the last two years, anti-cracker campaigners had been working overnight to persuade Delhites to stop bursting crackers. If figures released by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee ( dpcc ) are to be believed, they seem to have made some headway. In almost all parts of the city, figures indicate a drop in pollution levels. In Inderpuri area, for instance, suspended particulate matter ( spm ) levels dropped from 966 microgramme per cubic metre (m/m 3 ) in 1999 to 751 m/m 3 in 2000. Most of the areas registered a similar drop in spm levels as well as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. As far as the noise level is concerned, India Gate area was the least affected with 68 decibels (d b ), while the worst affected was New Friends Colony 87 d b . However, not many are impressed with the way monitoring is done. "The monitoring equipment being used in Delhi cannot differentiate the source of pollution, ' says Anil Agarwal, director, Centre for Science and Environment.