Toxic Haze Covers Delhi For 2nd Straight Day, Air Quality Remains 'Very Poor'

A thick layer of toxic haze covered Delhi for the second straight day post Diwali as people continued to burst firecrackers beyond the two-hour limit set by the Supreme Court. The air quality remained in the 'very poor' category at 345 at 7 am, according to the data available on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website.

Of the total 38 monitoring stations, 34 were in the 'red zone', indicating 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality. Two stations - Punjabi Bagh and Wazirpur - were in the 'severe zone' with the AQI at 433 and 401.

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

#Watch | Toxic Haze Covers Delhi For 2nd Straight Day, Air Quality Remains 'Very Poor'https://t.co/aiMqWPPnAr pic.twitter.com/cWUDEBfXzr

— NDTV (@ndtv) October 22, 2025

Visuals from the ITO, where the air quality index was recorded at 361, showed a layer of smog hovering in the area.

#WATCH | Visuals from the ITO as GRAP-2 invoked in Delhi.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the region was recorded at 361, in the 'Very Poor' category, this morning pic.twitter.com/4KEqIV2wRc

— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2025

The air quality index (AQI) stood at nearly 350 on Tuesday - a five-year post-Diwali low despite a 77.5 per cent drop in stubble burning, which was normally a significant reason for air pollution in the national capital. The PM2.5 levels reached shocking averages of 488 micrograms per cubic metre - nearly 100 times the exposure limit advised by the World Health Organisation.

This comes despite the Supreme Court's guidelines to use only 'green' crackers.

In an order passed on October 15, the top court allowed the use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali. It was confined to specific hours - 6 am to 7 pm on the day before Diwali and 8 am to 10 pm on the festival day. However, many residents violated the court's directions, with celebrations continuing late into the night.

Politics over Delhi air quality

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), whose failure to address smog and pollution in the Yamuna had been a big factor in its defeat earlier this year, slammed the ruling BJP in the state over the rising air pollution. AAP MLA Gopal Rai accused the Delhi government of "making excuses" and not taking action to prevent the pollution. 

He also accused BJP leaders of pushing people to burst firecrackers despite the air emergency in the capital.

AAP state chief Saurabh Bharadwaj mocked Rekha Gupta over the rising pollution, claiming she does not know how to "pronounce AQI". "We don't know what the government has done. The Chief Minister does not even know how to pronounce AQI. She calls it IQ, QQ. She can't even say AQI. She has no understanding. The government has failed to stop pollution," he said.

The BJP, however, in response, blamed the citizens for bursting crackers and cited stubble burning from nearby states for the thick blanket of smog hovering over the national capital.