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The
capital New Delhi took, as it often does, the top spot. It had
an air quality index (AQI) figure of 407, putting it the
"hazardous" category, according to Swiss group IQAir.
Financial capital Mumbai came in sixth with an AQI of 157, while
Kolkata in the east was seventh with an AQI of 154.
An AQI level of 400-500 impacts healthy people and is dangerous
to those with existing diseases, while a level of 150-200 brings
discomfort to people with asthma, lung and heart problems.
Levels of 0-50 are considered good.
A thick layer of smog had started to circulate in New Delhi from
Sunday night, sending its AQI to an alarming 680 a little after
midnight.
Every year authorities bans firecrackers in the capital, but
those bans rarely appear to be enforced.
Lawmaker Saket Gokhale posted a letter on X, formerly known as
Twitter, in which he had asked the local police for details on
number of cases of the use firecrackers and the action taken
against the perpetrators.
The Delhi police spokesperson did not answer several calls made
by Reuters asking for comment.
Air quality in northern India deteriorates every year ahead of
winter, when cold air traps pollutants from vehicles, industry,
construction dust and agricultural waste burning.
New Delhi's authorities postponed an earlier decision to
restrict the use of vehicles after a brief spell of rain on
Friday brought some respite from a week of toxic air.
The local government said it plans to maintain its ban on
construction activities and to keep schools closed to protect
people from the pollution.
(Reporting by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Miral
Fahmy)
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