New Delhi: As Delhi residents ushered in Diwali with lights and celebrations, authorities enforced strict guidelines on the use of firecrackers amid rising air pollution. Only green crackers are permitted this year, and that too within restricted time windows mandated by the Supreme Court.

As per the court’s directive, firecrackers in Delhi-NCR can be used only:

Morning: 6 am to 7 am

Evening: 8 pm to 10 pm

These limits are in effect from October 18 to 20, and only licensed vendors can sell green crackers.

Despite these curbs, air quality deteriorated sharply across the capital after Diwali night, with many areas entering the "very poor" and "severe" AQI zones, commonly referred to as the red zone.

‘Red zone’ expands: 24 out of 38 stations in ‘very poor’ category

On Sunday night, 24 of Delhi’s 38 monitoring stations recorded “very poor” air quality (AQI above 300), according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). By Monday morning, pollution levels had worsened in several hotspots:

Anand Vihar: AQI 417 (Severe)

New Delhi area: AQI 367

Vijay Nagar (Ghaziabad): AQI 348

Noida Sector 1: AQI 344

Gurugram: AQI 283

Other severely affected areas include Wazirpur (364), Vivek Vihar (351), Dwarka (335), RK Puram (323), Siri Fort (318), and Punjabi Bagh (313).

The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 335 for Delhi at 7:30 AM on Monday, placing the city firmly in the “very poor” category, just one notch below “severe.”

Stage II of GRAP in force; more curbs may follow

In response to the deteriorating conditions, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has activated Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR, in addition to the Stage I restrictions already in effect since October 14.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast continued poor dispersion conditions for pollutants, warning that AQI levels may dip into the “severe” range by Tuesday — the day after Diwali.

Following a review on October 18, the CAQM’s GRAP Sub-Committee instructed all agencies to maintain high vigilance, especially on dust control and vehicular emissions.

Chief Minister appeals for responsible celebrations

On Monday morning, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta extended Diwali greetings to the public but reiterated the need to adhere to firecracker regulations.

“This year’s Diwali is unprecedented for Delhi. On one hand, there is permission to celebrate with environmentally friendly ‘green crackers’, while on the other, for the first time since independence, a grand ‘Divya Deepotsav’ was organised at Kartavya Path,” the CM urged in a post on X.

She also highlighted Delhi’s historic ‘Divya Deepotsav’ at Kartavya Path, where over 1.51 lakh diyas were lit, and a Ramayana-themed drone show was held.