Delhi Air Quality Crosses Into Severe Range After Deepavali Fireworks

UPDATE - follow-up to AQI slips to 'severe' in Delhi; Mumbai, Chennai wake up to smog morning after Deepavali: Delhi's air quality entered the severe zone on Monday after residents ignored Supreme Court bans and burst firecrackers past the 10 p.m. deadline on Deepavali night.

Air Quality Levels

The Central Pollution Control Board live dashboard recorded an AQI of 404 at 4 a.m. on Monday. Burari Crossing recorded the highest reading at 441. Vivek Vihar reached 437, Delhi Technological University hit 434, North Campus and Jahangirpuri both touched 433, and Rohini registered 430.

Spread Across Cities

Smog also spread to several other cities across India. In Mumbai, Kherwadi-Bandra East recorded an AQI of 264, Sewri reached 226, Ghatkopar hit 221, and Chembur stood at 216, while Byculla, Mindspace-Malad West, Kandivali West, Worli, and Kurla also reported varying levels. Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh woke up to hazy conditions as well. Cities including Lucknow, Amritsar, Jodhpur, Ahmedabad, Dehradun, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Surat slipped into the poor category. Nagpur, Pune, Bhopal, Mumbai, and Kolkata also saw rising pollution levels. Meanwhile, southern cities stayed cleaner, with Chennai at 208, while Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram recorded moderate to satisfactory air.

Official Measures

Authorities have kept Stage III measures in force following a decision by the Commission for Air Quality Management. This brings in stricter enforcement and extra steps to stop the air from getting worse. The emergency action plan covers Delhi and nearby districts in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Agencies use forecasts from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology to bring in these rules before numbers hit the severe mark.

Context

Air quality in northern India often drops sharply around Deepavali due to a mix of firecracker emissions, cooler weather traps, and farm fires. The Graded Response Action Plan uses a four-stage system to ban certain activities and cut traffic when pollution worsens. These emergency rules help slow down toxic build-up during peak winter pollution months.