Delhi Air Quality Worsens Into Severe Category Following Diwali Celebrations

Delhi residents celebrated Diwali on Sunday as the national capital recorded a sharp deterioration in air quality, with pollution levels entering the very poor category and multiple monitoring stations reaching severe levels.

The overall Air Quality Index stood at 371 on Sunday evening, rising from 376 on average for the day and climbing from 369 on Saturday.

Data from 59 air quality monitoring stations showed that 19 locations recorded severe air quality by 7 pm, while 33 stations reported very poor conditions.

Jahangirpuri emerged as the most polluted location in the city, recording an AQI of 460.

The worsening conditions stem from a combination of firecracker emissions, vehicular exhaust, and stubble burning in neighbouring states, compounded by unfavourable weather that trapped pollutants.

The Supreme Court permitted certified green crackers for limited hours on Saturday and Sunday, ruling that a complete ban had failed to stop illegal sales or improve air quality.

Delhi Police deployed more than 250 special enforcement teams, but officers charged with implementing the rules acknowledged the immense difficulty of ensuring full compliance.

“It is nearly impossible to determine whether a cracker that a person burst was green or not,” said an enforcement officer on Saturday.

The officer added that covering the entire city to monitor the permitted time slots was not feasible.

Reporters found conventional firecrackers available upon request in markets such as Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazaar, with boxes lacking the mandatory QR codes.

Fine particulate matter remained the dominant pollutant, with concentrations increasing sharply after evening celebrations began.

The transport sector contributed an estimated 19 percent of the pollution load on Sunday, while stubble burning accounted for approximately 3.5 percent.

The Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts that hazardous conditions will persist over the coming days.