Delhi is choking a day after Diwali as pollution levels spiked sharply through the night, reaching the highest concentrations recorded in the last three years. Delhiites woke up to a thick layer of smog blanketing the National Capital on Tuesday, October 21.

The air quality deteriorated, despite the Supreme Court only allowing ‘green’ crackers. Real-time data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) showed Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM10 concentrations surging by 15 to 20 times above safe limits across several stations, the Indian Express reported.

The capital city’s air quality index (AQI) at 11 PM stood at 347, in the ‘very poor’ category, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. It remained nearly unchanged, at 346 at 6 AM on Tuesday, and climbed further t

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