New Delhi, Oct 20 — Delhiites celebrated Diwali under a thick haze on Sunday morning as air quality dipped sharply overnight, pushing several parts of the city into the “severe” category. At 9 am, the city’s overall AQI stood at 339, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed.
Pollution levels were highest in Anand Vihar (414) and Wazirpur (412), while monitoring stations at Bawana, Pusa, and Ashok Vihar also recorded AQI readings between 370 and 394. Only a few locations, such as Sri Aurobindo Marg and Delhi Technological University, reported moderate readings below 200.
Experts attributed the decline to firecracker emissions and stagnant weather conditions, which trapped pollutants close to the surface. “The combined effect of fireworks, vehicular emissions, and low wind speed has led to the formation of dense smog,” an IMD official said.
In response, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has enforced Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region. This includes strict dust control measures and curbs on construction and industrial activities.
The latest spike comes just days after the Supreme Court allowed conditional use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, restricting their sale and bursting to specific time windows. Despite the order, reports of illegal crackers being used surfaced from several areas.
According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, air quality is likely to remain in the “very poor” range for the next two days before a slight improvement from Tuesday onwards, depending on wind movement.
