New Delhi: The Diwali morning in Delhi-NCR once again began under a grey, choking sky. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 335 by 7:30 am, falling in the “very poor” category. Areas such as Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 417. It is listed as “severe.” Across the National Capital Region, air turned toxic despite the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoking Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Sunday.

Delhi’s Diwali hangover is not new, it is an annual ritual that now feels depressingly inevitable. Despite bans on firecrackers, construction restrictions, and vehicular curbs, 24 of the city’s 38 monitoring stations recorded “very poor” air quality on Sunday night. From Noida to Ghaziabad and Gurugram, the festive lights flickered behind a curtain of smog

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