Delhi's air quality further dips into 'very severe' category after Diwali as crackers burst despite ban

Delhi residents on Friday awoke to extremely awful weather. Following Diwali, the national capital was covered in a heavy veil of smoke. The air in Delhi and neighbouring regions was thick with toxic smoke as people defied the government's ban on firecrackers on Diwali, despite a dramatic spike in emissions from agricultural fires. At 7:49 a.m., the city's total air quality index was 386, placing it in the "terrible" category according to the System of Air Quality Forecasting And Research.

At roughly 3 a.m., the air quality on Janpath in Delhi was classified as 'hazardous,' with Pm2.5 at 655.07. The 24-hour average air quality index in the capital was 382 on Thursday. On wednesday, the air quality was reported at 314.

Also Read | Delhi's air quality index dips to 'very poor' category for first time this season

As a layer of haze hung over the region in this season's opening episode, residents from the various areas of the city and its suburbs complained of itchy throats and watery eyes.
Despite a blanket prohibition in the national capital in force till January 1, 2022, firecrackers were recorded blowing as early as 7 p.m. on Thursday in Lajpat Nagar, Burari, Paschim Vihar, and Shahdara. Despite a prohibition on the sale or usage of all types of firecrackers in 14 Haryana districts, many cases of high-intensity cracker bursting have been recorded from Gurgaon and Faridabad.

According to SAFAR model estimates, the proportion of stubble burning may grow to 35% on Friday and 40% on Saturday when the wind direction changes to northwesterly. Smoke from agricultural fires in Punjab and Haryana is carried to the national capital by northwesterly winds. According to the air quality forecast organisation, respite is predicted only on the evening of November 7.

Also Read | Ahead of Diwali, Haryana govt bans crackers in 14 districts near Delhi

• Delhi
• Delhi air quality
• Air Quality Index
• firecrackers ban