Post-Diwali pollution: Delhi minister says residents, neighbors equally responsible
Delhi's Environment Minister Ashish Sood says both residents and neighboring states are responsible for the city's post-Diwali pollution.
"Only firecrackers are not responsible for pollution in Delhi. However, I believe people should have followed the Supreme Court's order to burst crackers before 10 p.m.," he shared.
This year, only green firecrackers were allowed between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali, but many ignored these rules.
How bad is air quality now?
Delhi's air quality tanked right after Diwali night—Anand Vihar hit an AQI of 943 at 5am.
By Tuesday morning, most parts of the city were stuck in "very poor" to "severe" air quality, with an overall AQI of 350.
The usual culprits—crop burning in Punjab and Haryana plus weather trapping all that pollution—made things worse.
Environmentalists say Delhi still isn't doing enough
Areas like Anand Vihar (AQI 360), North Campus (363), and Bawana (432) saw especially high pollution levels.
People woke up to thick smog and barely-there visibility at major landmarks despite government measures like GRAP-2 being in place.
Environmentalists say Delhi still isn't doing enough to tackle its yearly air crisis.