Toxic Haze Envelopes Major Indian Cities as Air Quality Plummets After Deepavali

UPDATE - follow-up to AQI slips to 'severe' in Delhi; Mumbai, Chennai wake up to smog morning after Deepavali: Toxic haze and thick smog blanketed Delhi on Monday as the air quality index reached 404 at 4 a.m., crossing into the severe category despite Supreme Court restrictions on fireworks. Burari Crossing recorded the highest reading at 441, followed by Vivek Vihar, Delhi Technological University, North Campus, Jahangirpuri, and Rohini.

Regional Impact

Beyond the capital, Mumbai saw hazy conditions in Kalanagar, Bandra, Kherwadi-Bandra East, Sewri, Ghatkopar, and Chembur, while Lucknow and other northern hubs like Amritsar, Jodhpur, Ahmedabad, Dehradun, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Surat slipped into the poor category. Central and industrial belts including Nagpur, Pune, Bhopal, and Kolkata also saw spikes, while southern cities like Chennai recorded poor air quality alongside moderate to satisfactory levels in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Action Plan

Stage III measures remain in force under the Commission for Air Quality Management, involving stricter enforcement and emergency protocols across Delhi and nearby districts in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan based on forecasts by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

Context

Air quality in northern India often worsens sharply during the winter months due to a combination of festive emissions, cooler temperatures, and low wind speeds that trap pollutants close to the ground. Emergency frameworks like the Graded Response Action Plan are deployed to curb further deterioration by restricting certain high-emission activities.