Despite anti-pollution measures and warnings, Delhi’s air quality sharply declined on Diwali night, plunging into the ‘very poor’ category as the capital marked the festival with firecrackers, many of them green—raising fresh concerns over worsening pollution levels.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 345 at 6 pm on Diwali, with 34 out of 38 monitoring stations across the city registering readings in the ‘red zone’, indicating ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ pollution.

Air quality is expected to deteriorate further in the coming hours due to continued bursting of firecrackers and unfavourable meteorological conditions. Officials have also reported violations of restrictions on the sale and use of firecrackers in several

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