The contribution of stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana has remained negligible this season – below 1% on most days, and peaking at just 2.6%

Delhi AQI today: The analysis by the Decision Support System (DSS), which tracks pollution sources, showed that the mix of emissions affecting Delhi had shifted since Diwali on October 20.

Delhi's air pollution is a year-round menace, not merely a winter phenomenon. The city is trapped in a perfect storm of its own traffic, industry, and construction dust, which is then catastrophically exacerbated each autumn by agricultural burning in neighbouring states. The fundamental question remains whether India's capital can ever truly escape its toxic air and reclaim a healthy environment.

Source apportionment data from the Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality management shows that the mix of pollution sources impacting Delhi has changed since Diwali on October 20.

Both CPCB and IQAir follow different methods of calculating air quality index, resulting in different numbers.

During Diwali, Delhi’s pollution worsened significantly, with 36 out of 38 air quality monitoring centres falling into the ‘red zone’. Sunil Dahiya mentioned that the smoke from fireworks, combined with vehicle emissions and construction dust, made the air extremely unhealthy, affecting breathing for most residents.

Delhi’s air quality stayed in the “very poor” range two days after Diwali, with an AQI of 353. Data from the Decision Support System showed that over 36% of the pollution came from “unaccounted sources”, meaning emissions not clearly identified or tracked. Transport, industry, and waste burning also added to the problem. Sunil Dahiya from Envirocatalysts explained that these unaccounted sources likely include power plants, industries, and crop burning in nearby states, which are not properly captured in pollution records.

A reading of 351 qualifies as “very poor” – a category for which NCDC recommends “avoiding physical activity outdoors” and remaining indoors as far as possible

Stations at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Nehru Nagar, Patparganj, and RK Puram each lost about eight hours of readings.

An analysis of CPCB and DPCC data by HT revealed that only nine stations – barely 23% of the city’s monitoring network – recorded continuous data

Several air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, including RK Puram, went offline for hours on Diwali night, leaving critical PM2.5 data missing during peak pollution hours. Experts said the data gaps skewed average readings and hindered analysis of pollution sources. Sunil Dahiya, founder of EnviroCatalysts, said missing data hampers understanding of pollution trends and called for improved data transparency and monitoring practices.

Several government-run open-access websites that publish real time monitoring of air quality were unavailable for several hours during peak firecracker time on Diwali day

Firecracker emissions contributed between 30% and 40% to Delhi’s pollution on Diwali, with PM2.5 levels spiking eightfold due to stagnant wind conditions. Experts said calm weather and poor dispersion worsened air quality overnight, pushing pollution levels 60–67 times above WHO’s safe limit. Data analysis by EnviroCatalysts revealed that PM2.5 levels on Diwali night have consistently surged 200–300% compared to pre-Diwali levels since 2021.

The report has revealed that a significant failure occurred as 30 of Delhi's 39 official air quality monitors were offline during the Diwali period, hiding the true scale of the pollution crisis from the public.

Delhi's air monitoring stations missed key pollution data during Diwali's toxic air spike.

On Diwali night, Gurgaon’s PM2.5 levels soared to 16 times the national limit as residents continued bursting crackers well past the Supreme Court’s permitted 8–10 pm window. The hourly concentration of PM2.5—a fine particulate pollutant linked to respiratory problems—rose sharply, with Sector 51 recording the highest at 949 micrograms per cubic metre around midnight. Despite restrictions, fireworks continued sporadically till 2 am in several neighbourhoods, including DLF phases, Sector 56, Palam Vihar, and Golf Course Extension. Residents complained that noise and smoke lingered for hours, reducing visibility. Officials said the city’s air quality remained in the ‘severe’ category for several days after Diwali.

If rationality and data take a backseat, the courts hesitate to take reasonable decisions, and a government which must prioritise public health does the opposite, then democracy – which is about accountability to the people and the well-being of all – also suffers.

Vaani Kapoor is currently in Delhi to celebrate Diwali with her family. The actress on Tuesday took to Instagram to share that she woke up to Delhi's AQI touching 447, and she has urged people to celebrate the festival without dimming the air quality. Read on to know more...

It was a noisy Diwali in Delhi as ‘green’ fireworks burst non-stop across the capital. Now it sits under a thick, choking blanket of smog filled with ultra-fine pollutants. According to data, the average AQI touched the ‘severe’ category, at 451, at 7 am on Tuesday, 1.8x above the national average

The transport sector contributes the most to the national capital’s toxic air but is consistently overlooked when it comes to policy discussions and actions.