Delhi was shrouded by toxic smoke as it woke up on Tuesday morning, as the city's air quality plunged to the 'hazardous' category following a night of Diwali celebrations marked by widespread firecracker bursting.
According to private AQI monitor and forecaster AQI.in, pollution levels touched a staggering 475 at 6 AM today, triggering health warnings and raising concerns over worsening air quality in the days ahead.
The air quality deteriorated after fireworks continued well beyond the Supreme Court’s permitted window, pushing pollution levels across the city to alarming highs. The apex court had allowed only green firecrackers to be burst between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali night. But celebrations carried on late into the night, overwhelming air quality monitoring systems across the national capital.
Nearly All AQI Monitoring Stations In 'Red Zone' On Diwali
On Diwali, 36 out of 38 monitoring stations recorded pollution in the ‘red zone,’ placing Delhi’s overall air quality firmly in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ categories. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 344, classified as ‘very poor’ at 10 PM, with several areas crossing the 400 mark.
The SAMEER app, developed by the CPCB, showed severe air quality at Dwarka (417), Ashok Vihar (404), Wazirpur (423), and Anand Vihar (404). Meanwhile, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI, updated daily at 4 pm, was 345 — higher than Sunday’s 326 — confirming a steady rise in pollution levels.
By afternoon, 31 monitoring stations reported ‘very poor’ air quality, while three slipped into the ‘severe’ zone. Officials warned that pollution may worsen further, with forecasts suggesting that the AQI could drop deeper into the ‘severe’ range on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The CPCB classifies air quality as follows: an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good,’ 51–100 ‘satisfactory,’ 101–200 ‘moderate,’ 201–300 ‘poor,’ 301–400 ‘very poor,’ and 401–500 ‘severe.’
In response to the rising pollution levels, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforced Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on Sunday. The decision came after a review by the GRAP sub-committee, which considered forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). However, despite the restrictions, the air quality in the city turned toxic.
Earlier, on October 15, the Supreme Court had permitted the sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR between 6 AM and 7 PM and again from 8 PM to 10 PM on Diwali eve and the festival day.