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Delhi Chokes Under Toxic Haze After Diwali Fireworks
21 Oct
Summary
- Delhi's air quality plummets to 'very poor' or 'severe' levels
- 34 out of 37 monitoring stations record 'red zone' pollution
- People continue bursting firecrackers past the allotted time
The national capital of India, Delhi, has been grappling with a severe air pollution crisis in the aftermath of the Diwali festival. On the morning of October 21, 2025, the city woke up to hazy skies and toxic air, as most monitoring zones recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) in the 'very poor' or 'severe' zone.
According to the report, a total of 34 out of 37 monitoring stations in Delhi registered pollution levels in the 'red zone', indicating 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality across the city. This comes despite the Supreme Court's earlier order allowing the use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on Diwali, with specific conditions.
However, it appears that people continued to burst regular firecrackers even after the allotted time of 8 pm to 10 pm, further exacerbating the pollution problem. As a result, the authorities are now likely to scale up anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan to combat the worsening situation.
