A day after the Diwali celebrations on Thursday, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated to the "severe" category. A thick blanket of smog, a sign of intense air pollution, blanketed India's national capital, leading to poor visibility and increased health concerns.
Until 8 a.m. (IST) on Friday, the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was 451 (severe). Despite a ban by the Delhi government, firecrackers were set off in several parts of Delhi on Diwali night.
According to the news agency Press Trust of India, the contribution of farm fires to Delhi's pollution increased to the season's highest at 25 percent.
"The overall air quality of Delhi has plunged into the upper end of the very poor category… It will continue to fall now and may enter at the edge of the 'very poor' to 'severe' category by tonight…", the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) said on its portal.
Per experts, an AQI between 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor", and 401-500 "severe".
"Visibility in parts of the city dropped to 200 metres", the news agency PTI quoted R.K. Jenamani, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), as saying.
However, some relief can be expected from the evening of 7 November, but AQI will fluctuate within the "very poor" range, the forecast agency said.