After many thousands of people burst fireworks throughout the night under already unfavorable environmental conditions, India's national capital Delhi awoke covered in smoke and unbreathable hazardous air the day after Diwali.
According to live data from the World Air Quality Project's website, the Air Quality Index (AQI) values in the world's most polluted capital city reached a maximum of 999 in some places, while many inhaled "very poor" to "hazardous" air across Delhi and its neighboring areas. Major southern Indian towns such as Chennai and Kochi, on the other hand, had AQI scores of 90 and 50, respectively.
PM2.5 (small particulate matter) concentrations must not exceed 25 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the World Health Organization.
On Friday morning, though, PM2.5 readings in Delhi were more than 40 times higher. PM 2.5 levels were measured at 999 micrograms per cubic meter at the Jawaharlal Nehru football stadium downtown Delhi.
PM2.5 particles have a diameter of fewer than 2.5 microns, which means they can pass through the lungs and into the bloodstream, potentially triggering cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, including lung cancer. Coughing, breathing difficulties, and irritation in the eyes, nose, and throat are immediate complications.
Environmentalists point out that the reading is 999 because poor air quality cannot be recorded beyond three digits, implying that Delhi's air might be significantly worse.
"When the AQI in Delhi reaches dangerous levels, several monitoring stations record 999 because they can't measure anything higher than three digits. Vimlendu Jha, an environmentalist, tweeted, "Self-destructing civilization."
"This morning, we are in a hell of our own making as #CrackerBan goes up in smoke #AirPollution," BBC Online correspondent Geeta Pandey remarked, alluding to the Delhi government's formal ban on Diwali fireworks this year.
On Friday morning, images from Delhi's streets revealed a heavy coating of reddish-grey haze and limited vision.
Several individuals reported breathing difficulties, itchy throats, watery eyes, and severe headaches, and many avoided going outside to avoid inhaling the hazardous air.
While the pollution level in Delhi has been unhealthy this week, staying between the "poor" and "very poor" ranges of the AQI, it has now hit the "severe" threshold after many people celebrated Diwali by exploding crackers. On Thursday evening and night, as well as Friday morning, loud blasts were observed.
Despite expert concerns that unmanaged fireworks emissions could increase haze already present owing to unfavorable meteorological circumstances such as weak winds and below-normal temperatures, the celebrations went on. The smoke from farm fires in northern India, car emissions, industrial facilities, and dust particles from a perpetually work-in-progress and under-construction city contribute to Delhi's winter air pollution.
According to previous years' trends, the pollution will disperse in a few weeks, and Delhi's AQI will sink back into the "good" category in many months.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited an army post near the Pakistan border in Nowshera, Jammu, and Kashmir, a few days after telling the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow that India would reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.
