Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Tuesday, 21 October 2025
A thick blanket of smog and toxic haze engulfed several Indian cities on Tuesday, the morning after Diwali festivities, as the air quality index (AQI) rocketed across regions due to widespread firecracker bursting despite official curbs.
From Delhi to Mumbai and Kolkata, residents woke up to darkened skies, reduced visibility, and pollution levels breaching the “very poor” and “severe” categories.
Delhi: AQI breaches 350-mark
Delhi residents woke up to a heavy grey haze blanketing the city skies as the air quality plunged into the “red zone” following all-night firecracker celebrations. Despite the Supreme Court’s order allowing only green firecrackers between 8pm and 10pm, residents across the national capital region flouted the rules well into midnight.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 352 at 8 am, up from 346 at 5 am and 347 at 6 am. The 24-hour average AQI on Monday had already reached 345, placing it in the “very poor” category.
Thirty-six of the capital’s 38 monitoring stations reported pollution levels in the “red zone,” with visibility dropping sharply in many parts of the city. Experts warned that the air quality could worsen further into the “severe” category by Tuesday night or Wednesday.
The CPCB’s SAMEER app, which provides real-time AQI data, was not updated on Tuesday morning.
Swiss group IQAir's reading for New Delhi was 442, making the capital the world's most polluted major city. Its PM 2.5 concentration was more than 59 times the World Health Organisation's recommended annual guideline.
Mumbai: Worst air since monsoon withdrawal
Mumbai’s skyline too was shrouded in haze, as the city recorded its worst air quality since October 10, with the overall AQI dipping to 212, classified as “poor.” At least three pockets of the financial capital—Bandra Kurla Complex (375), Colaba (346), and Mazgaon (309) — registered “very poor” air quality.
The deterioration came after extensive firecracker use during Diwali and weaker wind movement typical of early winter. Visuals from Haji Ali Dargah and Dadar Beach showed thick smog reducing visibility across the city.
Experts attributed the worsening air to the La Niña climate condition, which slows wind speeds and traps pollutants for longer durations in coastal cities.
Authorities from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) have begun implementing preventive measures, including ward-level monitoring and mobile air quality vans. Builders’ associations have also been instructed to strengthen pollution control at construction sites.
Haryana and Punjab: Bahadurgarh, Gurugram worst hit
Neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab also reported a steep decline in air quality post-Diwali. In Haryana, Bahadurgarh recorded an AQI of 358, the worst in the state, followed by Jind (350) and Gurugram’s Sector 51 (348). Rohtak (343), Bhiwani (307), and Faridabad (249) also saw “very poor” air.
In Punjab, Amritsar (212), Jalandhar (242), and Ludhiana (268) recorded “poor” to “very poor” air quality, according to CPCB data.
Kolkata, Howrah: Firecracker ban flouted on Kali Puja night
Kolkata and Howrah’s skies turned murky on Kali Puja night as firecrackers were burst beyond the permissible hours of 8 pm to 10 pm, violating guidelines issued by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB).
A WBPCB official said the Air Quality Index reached 186 PM2.5 at Victoria Memorial, while Belur in Howrah touched 364 at 10 pm on Monday. “At Padmapukur, the AQI read 361, while it breached 252 at Ghusuri,” the official added.
Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said, “From Kashipur, Sinthi, Jorasanko, Maniktala to Kasba, Tollygunge, Regent Park, Behala and Jadavpur, high-decibel firecrackers were burst everywhere. Both police and WBPCB remained mere spectators and failed to curb the sale and use of firecrackers.”
He added that the situation in Howrah was worse and might deteriorate further during post-Kali Puja celebrations. Naba Dutta of Sabuj Manch, an environmentalist organisation, also criticised authorities, saying they had “failed to enforce regulations, leaving elderly citizens, ailing persons, children and pets exposed to sound and air pollution.”
