A thick layer of smog is seen after Deepavali on Kartavya Path in New Delhi on October 21, 2025. | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
After people in Delhi burst firecrackers on Deepavali night in open violation of the existing ban allowing only green firecrackers from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, the overall air pollution in Delhi on Tuesday (October 21, 2025) morning was about 15 times higher than the limit prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to official data.
People burst firecrackers on Monday (October 20, 2025) evening before and after 8:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. window across the city and non-green firecrackers were available in the city before Deepavali.
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The total PM2.5 (a major pollutant) level in Delhi was 228 micrograms per cubic meter at 6:00 am on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, which is 15.1 times the WHO’s permissible limit of 15 micrograms per 24 cubic meters.
Delhi was the “most polluted” capital in the world on Tuesday (October 21, 2025) morning, according to IQAir’s (Swiss-based air quality technology company) latest data for over 120 cities. Delhi’s AQI of 429 was the worst in the list, followed by Lahore (260) and Karachi (182).
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The overall air quality in Delhi was in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday (Oct 21, 2025) morning, with four out of 36 monitoring stations recording ‘severe’ air pollution.
According to the CPCB, “severe air pollution affects healthy people” and “seriously affects” those with pre-existing conditions.
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Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 356 on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 9 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Bawan, Burari, Jahangirpuri and Wazirpur were reeling under “severe” air pollution.
An AQI between 51 and 100 is “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 is considered “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor” and 401 and 500 “severe” according to CPCB.
Also read | GRAP Stage 2 curbs run as Delhi air ‘very bad’
Several other cities in north India also witnessed “very poor” air quality, according to CPCB data.
Every winter, air pollution rises in Delhi-NCR and most parts of the greater Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) mainly due to meteorological factors such as lower wind speed and drop in temperature, and pollution from stubble burning during October-November and bursting of firecrackers worsens it.
Published – 21 Oct 2025 10:13 IST
