A heavy, choking shroud of toxic smog engulfed Delhi the morning after Diwali, turning the festivities into a struggle for breath as the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) plunged deep into the “very poor” territory at 366, with several areas breaching the “severe” 400-mark threshold.
ITO remained one of the worst-affected locations with an AQI of 407 and “severely” bad air quality. People said they struggled to breathe, suffered headaches, and experienced irritation in their eyes.
Air quality data for RK Puram was not available on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) or Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) apps, despite being fully accessible just a day before Diwali. As pollution levels began to spike, the real-time readings abruptly went offline. The sudden unavailability of the data triggered a political row as opposition parties took to target the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Delhi government for manipulating data. On the other hand, BJP leader and Delhi minister Kapil Mishra attacked the Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Punjab, alleging a sudden spike in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab around Diwali. He called for a probe into the matter. He usually runs five kilometres every day but was forced to come back home after barely a kilometre, after losing breath in Delhi’s air.
Because of Delhi’s toxic air, said he was visiting the capital only for festivities, shailesh, who shifted to Dehradun. She added that routine activities such as morning walks and running have become difficult due to the pollution.
Carrie said the pollution had taken a toll on her skin and affected her social life, forcing her to cancel plans with friends. The AQI recorded at several monitoring stations is as follows-, according to CPCB’s Sameer app.
