Delhi air pollution worsened sharply on Diwali night as firecracker smoke and dense haze spread across the capital, with 20 of the city’s 59 monitoring stations recording air quality in the ‘severe’ category by 10 pm, according to the report. Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 371 at that time, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.
Visibility fell in several parts of the city as firecracker emissions accumulated over roads and residential areas. Streetlights appeared blurred through the haze, while residents reported a strong smell of burnt firecrackers, breathing difficulties and reduced visibility during the celebrations.
Firecrackers were reported from several areas despite restrictions, including Pitampura, Burari, Mayur Vihar and parts of Lutyens’ Delhi. The report said the intensity of fireworks was particularly high in Burari. Residents in Bishambar Das Marg and Lutyens’ Delhi also reported continued fireworks, although the activity was described as comparatively less intense in those areas.
Before Diwali, the Delhi government had appealed to residents to follow Supreme Court directions on the sale and use of green firecrackers. An order issued by the district magistrate of East Delhi allowed green firecrackers only on November 7 and 8, between 6 am and 7 am and between 8 pm and 10 pm.
By 10 pm, 20 monitoring stations had recorded AQI levels in the severe category, six were in the ‘poor’ category and the remaining 33 were in the ‘very poor’ category. Sonia Vihar recorded the worst reading at 463, followed by Jahangirpuri at 450. Burari, Alipur and Punjabi Bagh were also among the areas reporting high pollution levels.
Sonia Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Punjabi Bagh, Burari, Okhla and Rohini were among the stations where air quality remained in the severe category through the day, according to the report. The city’s pollution level had moved close to the severe range by evening, with an AQI of 371 recorded at 7 pm.
The deterioration followed an increase in firecracker use between about 5 pm and 6 pm, after which the celebrations intensified through the night. The smoke added to pollution already present in the city and remained concentrated in several neighbourhoods. Delhi’s average AQI for Sunday was 376, compared with 369 on Saturday, placing both readings in the very poor category.
The Central Pollution Control Board classifies AQI values from 301 to 400 as very poor and values from 401 to 500 as severe. The report also cited the Air Quality Early Warning System’s forecast that Delhi’s air quality could enter the severe category from November 9 and remain there for the following few days.
The episode highlights the operational challenge of managing short-duration pollution spikes in a dense city: restrictions may be announced, but compliance and enforcement determine how much smoke reaches residential areas. The next official air-quality readings and the implementation of the permitted firecracker timings will indicate whether conditions improve or remain in the severe range.
