Delhi remained shrouded in a thick layer of toxic haze for the second consecutive day after Diwali, as many residents continued to burst firecrackers well beyond the two-hour window allowed by the Supreme Court. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 345 at 7 am, falling in the ‘very poor’ category.
Out of 38 monitoring stations across the capital, 34 were in the ‘red zone’, indicating ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ air quality. Punjabi Bagh and Wazirpur were among the worst affected areas, with AQI levels at 433 and 401 respectively.
Despite a reported 77.5 percent decline in stubble burning this year, Delhi’s post-Diwali AQI touched a five-year low of nearly 350. Experts say local factors such as extensive use of firecrackers and stagnant air continue to drive the pollution spike. The PM2.5 levels were recorded at an average of 488 micrograms per cubic metre — almost 100 times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization.
The Supreme Court had earlier permitted only ‘green crackers’ to be used between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali, but many residents flouted the rule, leading to heavy smoke across the city well past midnight.
Political blame followed soon after. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the Delhi government and BJP of negligence and poor enforcement of pollution control measures. AAP MLA Gopal Rai said the administration was making excuses instead of taking concrete action. Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also mocked BJP’s Delhi unit chief Rekha Gupta, claiming she “does not even know how to pronounce AQI.”
The BJP, meanwhile, blamed citizens for violating cracker bans and pointed to stubble burning in neighboring states as the primary cause of the smog. Party leaders said the government’s failure to implement air quality control measures had deepened the crisis.
With cooler temperatures and slower wind speeds expected in the coming days, experts warn that Delhi’s air quality could worsen further without immediate, coordinated action.
