Overview
- Delhi’s AQI hovered around 345 early Wednesday, with multiple stations in the ‘severe’ zone above 400, according to CPCB readings.
- Overnight PM2.5 surged to extreme levels reported between 675 µg/m³ and as high as 846 µg/m³ in some assessments, far above health limits.
- Monitoring gaps were flagged as several stations showed missing or likely saturated data during the peak window between about 11 pm and 5 am.
- Police registered more than 100 cases for alleged firecracker‑usage violations and over 50 for illegal sales, while hospitals reported 250-plus burn injuries, including 129 at Safdarjung Hospital.
- Source analyses and experts cited stagnant winds and local emissions as key drivers; DSS data showed transport contributed 15.6% on Monday, and officials warned conditions could persist under GRAP Stage II controls.