Overview
- Air‑quality tracker IQAir logged an AQI of 491 around 9:30 a.m. local time, placing Delhi as the most polluted major city measured that morning.
- Fine particulate pollution climbed to roughly 321 micrograms per cubic meter, more than 60 times the World Health Organization guideline for prolonged exposure.
- Mass fireworks during Diwali contributed to the surge despite a recent Supreme Court allowance for lower‑emission “green” firecrackers and reports of limited compliance.
- The governmental air‑quality commission warned conditions will deteriorate in coming days, and city authorities plan a cloud‑seeding attempt to induce rain and flush pollutants.
- Regional haze extended beyond India, with Lahore in Pakistan registering the second‑worst air‑quality reading globally according to IQAir.