In Pics: Day after Diwali, Delhi gasps for air amid toxic haze

Delhi residents woke up on Tuesday to heavy grey haze darkening the city skies, reduced visibility and the air quality in the 'red zone' after many celebrated Diwali last night by bursting firecrackers beyond the two-hour limit set by the Supreme Court.

According to a Central Pollution Control Bureau (CPCB) bulletin, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was 'very poor', with a reading of 352 at 8 am. It was 346 at 5 am, 347 at 6 am and 351 at 7 am.

Men row their boat amid low visibility as air quality deteriorates across Delhi-NCR, at Kalindi Kunj, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

Commuters make their way amid low visibility as air quality deteriorates across Delhi-NCR, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.

The CPCB's SAMEER app, which provides real-time AQI data from monitoring stations, was not updated on Tuesday morning.

The Supreme Court had allowed the use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali, which was celebrated on Monday. However, many flouted the court directions, with celebrations continuing late into the night.

Delhi's AQI stood at 349 at 12 am and 348 at 1 am, according to hourly data from the CPCB.

On Monday, 36 of the capital's 38 monitoring stations recorded pollution levels in the 'red zone', indicating 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality across the city.

A view of Safdarjung's tomb amid low visibility as air quality deteriorates across Delhi-NCR, at Kalindi Kunj, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.

Delhi's 24-hour average AQI on Monday, reported at 4 pm every day, was in the 'very poor' category at 345.

The air quality is expected to slip into the 'severe' category more widely on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Monday, Delhi woke up to 'very poor' air quality with the data from around 38 monitoring stations showed that most parts of the city reported air quality levels above 300.

with PTI inputs