Delhi’s air turns hazardous again as post-Diwali celebrations choke the capital

New Delhi: According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app, 36 of 38 monitoring stations across Delhi recorded pollution levels in the ‘red zone,’ signalling ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ air quality. By 10 pm, Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 344, while areas like Dwarka (417), Ashok Vihar (404), Wazirpur (423), and Anand Vihar (404) reported ‘severe’ levels, conditions considered dangerous for all age groups.

This year’s air quality mirrored a disturbing pattern seen in past Diwalis. In 2024, Delhi’s AQI reached 362 in the morning after Diwali before settling to a 24-hour average of 339, despite relatively favourable wind conditions. Noise pollution, too, surged between 6 pm and midnight, as noted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). The year before, in 2023, the capital witnessed an even higher AQI of 438, as residents ignored a blanket ban on firecrackers, leaving neighbourhoods shrouded in smoke well into the next day.

Looking further back, the data paints a clear picture of persistent neglect. Delhi’s post-Diwali AQI was 326 in 2022, 454 in 2021, 414 in 2020, 337 in 2019, 281 in 2018, 319 in 2017, and 431 in 2016. Despite initiatives like “green crackers,” the pollution spike remains an annual phenomenon, worsened by a mix of fireworks, stubble burning, and vehicular emissions.

Environmental experts warn that with an AQI above 300, Delhi’s air becomes “very poor,” affecting even healthy individuals, while levels above 400 fall into the “severe” category, dangerous to breathe and capable of triggering respiratory distress. The CPCB’s AQI classification defines 0-50 as good, 51-100 as satisfactory, and anything beyond 300 as harmful to public health.