Thick smog blanketed New Delhi after millions celebrated the Hindu festival Diwali with firecrackers, sending air pollution levels soaring to hazardous levels.
Revellers in the city burst firecrackers late into Monday night, filling the air with smoke and fine particles that mixed with seasonal pollution and stagnant weather conditions.
By Tuesday morning, the city’s Air Quality Index had climbed above 350 in several neighbourhoods, a level considered “severe” and dangerous to breathe, according to the World Health Organization’s daily recommended maximum exposure.
Swiss air monitoring group, IQAir, had a reading for New Delhi of 442, making the Indian capital the world’s most polluted major city.
Visibility also dropped in some parts of the city as a grey haze enveloped streets, high-rises and historical monuments.
“I have never seen anything like this before. We can’t see anything here because of pollution,” said Vedant Pachkande, a tourist visiting New Delhi.
Delhi is unlikely to get relief in the coming days, with the Earth Sciences Ministry forecasting that air quality will remain in the “Very Poor to Poor” category.
India’s capital and its neighbouring districts are prone to a thick smog every winter as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from agricultural fires, leaving many of its 20 million residents struggling with respiratory illnesses.
The Supreme Court of India last week relaxed a ban on firecrackers in the city, permitting the use of so-called “green crackers” for a maximum of three hours each on Sunday and Monday, although witnesses saw crackers being set off outside allotted times, according to a Reuters report.
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Emissions from the crackers are 30% to 50% lower than conventional fireworks.
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Authorities in New Delhi have implemented other measures to curb pollution levels, including limits on construction activity and restrictions on diesel generators.
India is not alone among South Asian nations in battling toxic air.
In neighbouring Pakistan, the government has implemented an ’emergency plan’ to tackle pollution, which includes action against farm fires and smoke-emitting vehicles, and use of anti-smog guns in polluted areas.
But environmentalists say long-term solutions, such as cleaner energy and stricter vehicle-emission controls, are needed to prevent the annual crisis in India.
