Thousands of Indians in North India, especially the national capital region, woke up on Sunday to toxic air following Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
Delhi was blanketed with a thick haze, with the average pollution level in the capital over 9 times what is considered safe by the World Health Organisation
Revellers on Saturday night defied bans on using firecrackers to celebrate the festival — imposed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The NCR’s air pollution typically worsens in October and November due to farmers burning agricultural waste — known as stubble burning — in adjoining states, along with coal-fired power plants in surrounding states, traffic fumes and windless days.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had on Monday imposed a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) from November 9 midnight to November 30 midnight, saying “celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases”.
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