NEW DELHI: Widespread bursting of firecrackers beyond the time window permitted by Supreme Court on Diwali night drove Delhi’s air quality deeper into the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday. The surge of toxic smoke, laden with pollutants and heavy metals, caused the city’s average hourly PM2.5 levels to touch 675 micrograms/cubic metre at midnight, the highest since 2021 for Diwali night, when it had stood at 728. However, a rise in wind speed from 6am onwards and above-normal temperatures, along with negligible impact of stubble burning, prevented a further spike in pollution during the day. Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI on Diwali day stood at 345 in the ‘very poor’ category at 4pm — the highest Diwali day reading since 2021, when it had reached 382. On Tuesday, it had risen marginally

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