Diwali pollution: Delhi records worst post-festival PM2.5 levels in 5 years

India Oct 22, 2025

Delhi's air quality took a sharp dive on Diwali night (October 20, 2024), with PM2.5 levels averaging 488ug/m3—over 8 times the safe limit.
By Tuesday morning, the city's AQI hit 359, making it the worst post-Diwali PM2.5 in five years.
Some areas, like Anand Vihar and Dwarka Sector 8, saw PM2.5 shoot up to 1,800ug/m3.

Other sources of pollution

This spike happened even though stubble burning was down by over 75%, showing that other pollution sources are a big problem.
Many air quality monitors also went offline during the peak, making it harder to track exposure and warn people.
The poor air isn't just a Delhi thing—it's affecting nearby regions too, so it's a wake-up call for everyone.