This Diwali, the air quality of Delhi dropped significantly due to the firecrackers filling up the sky and creating a blanket of thick smoke in the sky. Despite the ban on burning firecrackers, people all across the city celebrated Diwali with firecrackers on a large scale. The smoke along with poor weather conditions, stubble burning, and local pollution resulted in dropping the air pollution index to the “very poor” category. The AQI for Delhi was at 330 and severe pollution levels were also recorded in some key areas.

Extremely high AQI levels were noted across various parts of Delhi by The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) with Anand Vihar registering the highest PM2.5 concentrations putting it under the “severe” category, making the air dangerous for breathing. Some of the nearby places like Wazirpur, Pusa, and Vivek Vihar also recorded high AQI levels of 603, 601, and 677, respectively. Some other places also saw the AQI levels going as high as 370, way above the safe limits.

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Despite repeated government attempts during Diwali to prevent air pollution, the pollution index keeps on rising every passing year. This year saw a significant increase in the air pollution index compared to last year, increasing from 218 to 330.