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Delhi’s air quality has once again taken a sharp downturn, with the city shrouded in a familiar post-Diwali haze. The government’s recent assertion that pollution levels have declined under its administration rings hollow, as the capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stubbornly remained in the “very poor” category throughout the festive week of October 18-23, 2025. The Supreme Court’s permission for “green crackers”, granted at the state’s request, did little to ease the smog that blanketed the city soon after celebrations. During the week, Delhi’s average AQI hovered around 340, worsening after Diwali due to low wind speeds that prevented pollutants from dispersing. The government has faced growing criticism but has not issued an official response. Health experts warn that the spike in AQI poses a severe threat to vulnerable populations, particularly children, the elderly, and those with respiratory diseases. The claim that post-Diwali pollution has fallen this year collapses when examined against meteorological data and particulate-matter levels from previous years. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), hourly variations in PM₂.₅ concentrations before, during, and after Diwali clearly reveal short-term but acute air-quality deterioration. The data reveal that 2025 recorded the highest post-Diwali mean (488 µg/m³), an alarming escalation that marks the worst air quality among the three years compared. PM₂.₅ levels more than tripled from pre-festival readings, pointing to severe accumulation of pollutants. Such figures highlight a disturbing upward trend despite continued regulatory measures and public advisories. Meteorological factors compounded the problem. The early-winter calm, combined with low wind speeds below 1 m/s and a north-northwest wind direction, created ideal conditions for temperature inversion—a phenomenon that traps pollutants close to the ground. Consequently, particulate matter accumulated rapidly over a few hours of firecracker activity, leaving little opportunity for dispersion. Even the so-called green firecrackers, developed under CSIR-NEERI certification and sold with QR codes and green logos, appeared ineffective in mitigating pollution. Beyond environmental degradation, the human cost of such pollution is staggering. For children, pregnant women, the elderly, and patients with pre-existing respiratory or cardiac conditions, even brief exposure to hazardous AQI levels can trigger serious health complications. Hospitals across Delhi have reported a rise in cases of breathlessness and wheezing in the days following Diwali. Yet, awareness about the dangers of festive pollution remains limited, with many residents still viewing it as a short-term inconvenience rather than a long-term public health crisis. The 2025 Diwali stands out as one of the most polluted in recent years. PM₂.₅ levels jumped from a pre-festival mean of 156.6 µg/m³ to 488 µg/m³ post-celebration—more than a threefold increase. Satellite imagery and ground sensors confirm that “green crackers” made a negligible difference. The night of October 19-20 saw the steepest surge, correlating directly with the widespread bursting of firecrackers across Delhi-NCR. One persistent challenge in tackling pollution in Delhi is implementation. Although only green crackers were permitted this year, enforcement gaps allowed rampant sale and use of conventional, highly polluting ones. Vendors exploited regulatory loopholes, selling uncertified products disguised as green alternatives. Without stringent monitoring and a traceable supply chain, the market for green crackers risks turning into a grey one. Certification systems must be digitally verifiable, and local authorities should ensure that only authorised products reach consumers. However, the burden does not lie solely with the administration. Citizens, too, must take responsibility by making conscious choices. Limiting firecracker use, carpooling, and avoiding open waste burning are small but powerful steps toward collective mitigation. Public health awareness campaigns, especially in schools and residential colonies, can help instil the understanding that air pollution is not an abstract environmental issue but an immediate threat to life expectancy and quality of living. Delhi’s air-pollution crisis has long been a product of shared negligence—regulatory, institutional, and social. Without behavioural change and policy coherence, any governmental attempt to curb pollution risks becoming another short-term fix. Sustainable improvement will require integrating pollution control into urban planning, investing in clean-energy transitions, and creating stronger incentives for compliance. Megha Jain is Assistant Professor, Shyam Lal College, University of Delhi/ Visiting Fellow, Pahle India Foundation; Vanyaa Gupta is an economist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
