Delhi chokes after Deepavali as smog pushes air quality into ‘severe’ category
A thick blanket of smog engulfed Delhi after Deepavali celebrations, with air quality deteriorating sharply across the capital. Several monitoring stations recorded severe pollution levels, with AQI crossing 400 in parts of the city. PM2.5 concentrations also surged to hazardous levels, far exceeding World Health Organisation guidelines.
On Monday, November 9, the air quality in Delhi, India, plummeted to a severe level following the Hindu festival of Diwali, according to a report from DW. Nineteen Indian sailors, who had been stranded in Yemen for nearly two weeks, were evacuated and reported to be in good health. The city of New Delhi and surrounding areas experienced an unprecedented spike in air pollution, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) surpassing the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended 24-hour average limit by a staggering 50 times.
This is due to the increased burning of fine particulate matter, such as PM 2.5, released by celebratory fireworks during Diwali. India's Supreme Court had previously banned conventional firecrackers on Diwali eve, but the ban was largely ignored. The city has long struggled with seasonal air pollution caused by vehicular emissions, crop-burning, and industrial activities.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- India news: Delhi air quality level 'severe' after Diwali dw.com
- Diwali Air Pollution: Indore Air Quality Ranks 2nd Worst With 1478 Points After Delhi, Bhopal 10th Most Polluted In India freepressjournal.in
- 170+ Diwali burn cases at Delhi’s Safdarjung, AIIMS hospitals indianexpress.com
- On Diwali night, Delhi's PM2.5 readings climbed towards 1,000, then went blank hindustantimes.com
