Air quality remains a concern for metropolitan cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata after recording extremely high pollution levels days after the nation celebrated Diwali.
According to AQI.in's live India rankings, Faridabad ranked fourth among India's most polluted cities, followed by Ghaziabad at fifth, Noida at seventh and Greater Noida at eighth. While Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata are also experiencing unhealthy air quality, their readings are considerably lower than those in the Delhi-NCR region.
Days before Diwali, celebrities from the film fraternity have raised their concerns over the worsening quality of air, triggered by unrestricted burning of firecrackers. Joining the bandwagon is Juhi Chawla who shared her concern in an X post.
"Will someone please tell me what this strange burnt-fuel smell in the air is..?? Almost like kerosene or diesel. I've been noticing it for several days now, from early morning and at different times through the day. Is anyone else smelling this too? Let me know," Juhi Chawla wrote.
Will someone please tell me what this strange burnt-fuel smell in the air is..?? Almost like kerosene or diesel. I've been noticing it for several days now, from early morning and at different times through the day. Is anyone else smelling this too? Let me know..
— Juhi Chawla Mehta (@iam_juhi) November 12, 2026
On November 4, Soni Razdan shared a strong statement, calling out people anti-national if they burn firecrackers.
Soni Razdan's post underscores the health hazards that young children are subjected to due to bursting firecrackers on Diwali.
"Any parent of a young child will tell you how much their children are suffering because of air pollution. How many school days they miss because of illness. So if you tell me that, in such circumstances, it is perfectly alright to burst even one cracker this Diwali, I can only say that it seems to me to be anti-life, anti-health and yes... anti-national," Soni Razdan wrote.
Later, Razdan clarified that her 'anti-national' term has nothing to do with religion or identity politics. In her opinion, someone is 'anti-national' if one's 'indiscriminate' action puts the nation at risk.
Soni Razdan's message came days after Dia Mirza's awareness video was taken down by Mumbai civic body. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) deleted the pollution-free Diwali video featuring her following an objection from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Emphasising the secular nature of the country, the Bombay High Court reprimanded the Mumbai Civic Body and said, "We have not seen any politician or any person who made remarks yesterday put up videos spreading awareness. We are a secular country. We are really hurt by this. The issue pertains to the environment and every person, irrespective of their religion and caste, is breathing the same air."
The court also ordered the civic body to re-upload Dia Mirza's deleted video.
In October, Richa Chadha asked Mumbaikers to raise their voice against the air-pollution.
"Dear citizens of Mumbai, What are you afraid of ? You got literal l poop in drinking water, and poison in the air. Poison kills life, what's worse than death ? Why does the richest civic body in the world @mybmc think they can GET AWAY by doing this to you?
"There's like 3 CMs, what is the plan of action for air? You've always had terrible roads, now you have shit air and water too. Why do you pay so much tax to die via slow poisoning ?
Mumbai contributes so much tax to the centre, what does it get in return? 7500 more trees are supposed to be cut. Why should a handful of environmentalists be constantly raising their voice for you? Are you cowards? Why have you outsourced all courage to the young? Ask questions, raise your voice! You don't deserve this!" she wrote in an X post
Dear citizens of Mumbai , What are you afraid of ? You got literal l poop in drinking water, and poison in the air. Poison kills life, what's worse than death ? Why does the richest civic body in the world @mybmc think they can GET AWAY by doing this to you ? There's like 3 CMs, what is the plan of action for air? You've always had terrible roads, now you have shit air and water too. Why do you pay so much tax to die via slow poisoning ? Mumbai contributes so much tax to the centre, what does it get in return? 7500 more trees are supposed to be cut. Why should a handful of environmentalists be constantly raising their voice for you? Are you cowards ? Why have you outsourced all courage to the young ? Ask questions, raise your voice! You don't deserve this !
— RichaChadha (@RichaChadha) October 24, 2026
Re-iterating the same claim, Bhumi Pednekar wrote on her Instagram Story, "Houses have caught fire, the AQI is hazardous, roads are full of waste, its 3 am and all I can hear are loud crackers. Our roads were full of people bursting crackers on them, out in the open, even when it's not allowed. This is heartbreaking."
In a subsequent post, she wrote, "Diwali is a festival of light, love, family and new beginnings. But every year, along with the celebrations, comes a familiar aftermath: polluted air, firecracker waste, noise and frightened animals. Firecrackers release fine particulate matter and other pollutants that add to an already challenging air-quality situation. And the impact isn't experienced equally. Children, older people, those with respiratory conditions and animals are particularly vulnerable. This year, let's make a choice that allows everyone including the ones who cannot speak for themselves to enjoy the festival."
With prominent voices raising the issue of air pollution, we can hope the concerned authorities take the necessary steps to curb the pollution.
