Pollution levels in Delhi spiked sharply through Diwali night on Monday, with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) real-time data showing PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations breaching safe limits by 15 to 18 times across several stations.

Anand Vihar, Dwarka Sector 8, Patparganj, and Jahangirpuri recorded peaks above 1,400 to 1,800 µg/m³, which is 15-20 times higher than the permissible standards.

The city’s air quality index (AQI) at 11 pm, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, stood at 347, in the ‘very poor’ category. It remained nearly unchanged, at 346 at 6 am Tuesday, and by 11 am it had reached 359.

This year’s Diwali pollution levels were the highest in recent years. This is significant especially as this year the Supreme Court relaxed ban on firecrackers to allo

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