Delhi’s deteriorating air quality, and even the Supreme Court’s ban did not deter the residents from bursting firecrackers on Diwali. The morning after the festivities, the city saw a thick layer of fog and smoke. 

The ‘very poor’ air quality of the national capital region – which had briefly improved because of rains – plunged to ‘severe’ again following the festivities. As the region reportedly recorded an upshot in pollution-related ailments, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital announced a ‘Pollution OPD’. 

The hospital’s director, Dr Ajay Shukla, said every year during October and November, the city sees a rise of “30 percent” in patients suffering from pollution-related ailments.  

However, people who burst firecrackers on Diwali said it was an “integral part” of their “religious tradition and festivities”. They also deemed the top court’s firecracker ban “wrong”. 

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