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'People should have...': Delhi minister's bizarre reply when asked cause of pollution
Delhi residents woke up on Tuesday to heavy grey haze darkening the city skies, reduced visibility and the air quality in the 'red zone' day after Diwali.
Delhi environment minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday said that people and neighbouring states share the blame for the alarming post-Diwali pollution levels in the capital, after air quality plunged into the “severe” category following widespread violation of firecracker restrictions.
“The AQI in Anand Vihar at around 5 a.m. was 943 and 390 in Shahdara. Only firecrackers are not responsible for pollution in Delhi. However, I believe people should have followed the Supreme Court’s order to burst crackers before 10 p.m.,” Sood said.
“Delhi has no weather of its own; many factors determine the weather and pollution levels here, and adjacent states also have a role to play," he added.
The minister’s remarks came as Delhi woke up to dense grey haze, stinging air and drastically reduced visibility a day after Diwali celebrations that saw loud and smoky firecrackers bursting across the city late into the night.
Air quality in the red zone
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 359, classified as “very poor”, at 11 am. The readings climbed from 346 at 5 a.m. to 359 within hours, signalling worsening conditions.
Data from the CPCB’s SAMEER app showed that 35 of Delhi’s 38 monitoring stations were in the “red zone,” indicating “very poor” to “severe” air. Jahangirpuri (409), Wazirpur (408), Bawana (432) and Burari (405) were among the most polluted locations.
Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI on Monday stood at 345, already “very poor,” before Diwali night celebrations pushed pollution levels further up.
‘Wake-up call for the city’
Environmentalists warned that the capital is once again paying the price for years of policy failure and weak enforcement.
“With nearly every monitoring station in Delhi now in the red zone, this is a wake-up call,” said Bhavreen Kandhari, environmental activist. “Today’s smog isn’t just clouding the sky, it is choking our children’s lungs.”
She noted that respiratory infections already account for 70% of communicable diseases in India, which also leads globally in chronic respiratory ailments.
Court orders flouted
The Supreme Court, in an October 15 order, had allowed the use of “green firecrackers” in Delhi-NCR only between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali, claiming they emit 30% less pollution. However, residents across the capital flouted the time restrictions, with loud fireworks continuing until well past midnight.
The festival coincides with the winter pollution season, when crop residue burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana and stagnant weather patterns trap pollutants over Delhi-NCR.
By Tuesday morning, a thick grey smog had enveloped roads, high-rises, and monuments, cutting visibility and leaving the air smelling of burnt chemicals.
“I have never seen anything like this before. We can’t see anything here because of pollution,” said Vedant Pachkande, a tourist visiting the capital.
