Hoping for Good Fortune, Inhaling Toxic Fumes: "Disaster" as City Sets Off Fireworks Despite 3.8 Million Air Pollution Deaths

Fireworks for Diwali, India's Largest Hindu Festival
The Next Day, PM2.5 Reaches Severe Levels in New Delhi and Elsewhere
Fireworks Continue Late into the Night Despite Restrictions on Low-Emission Fireworks

After fireworks marking Diwali, India's largest Hindu festival, ended, PM2.5 levels in some parts of the capital, New Delhi, surged to nearly 60 times the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended limit.

Air quality reaches 'severe' level... PM2.5 at 879 micrograms per cubic meter

Security personnel walk through thick smog in New Delhi, India, on the 9th (local time), after fireworks lit up the sky overnight during the Diwali festival. AP-Yonhap News

Foreign media outlets, including the Associated Press and Bloomberg, reported on Nov. 9 (local time) that "fireworks celebrating Diwali continued across New Delhi the previous night, blanketing the city center with smoke and fine dust." On the morning of Nov. 9, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in many parts of New Delhi was around 370, while it exceeded 400 in some areas. India's Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) divides air pollution levels into six categories on a scale of 0 to 500, based on concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10. A score of 301 to 400 falls into the fifth category, "very poor," which raises the risk of respiratory illness with prolonged exposure. Scores above 400 are classified as "severe," the highest category.

PM2.5 concentrations in the Mandir Marg area of New Delhi measured 879 micrograms per cubic meter that day, and exceeded 900 micrograms per cubic meter in some areas. The WHO-recommended daily average limit for PM2.5 is 15 micrograms per cubic meter. According to data from Swiss air-quality monitoring company IQAir, New Delhi ranked as the world's third most polluted city that morning.

Diwali, a major Hindu festival whose name signifies "light overcoming darkness," is held every year in October and November. Believing that the more lights they illuminate, the more good fortune they will attract, Indians light candles and lamps and set off large quantities of fireworks during the festival. Earlier this month, India's Supreme Court restricted the use of fireworks to designated times and permitted only "low-emission fireworks" designed to reduce pollutant emissions. However, fireworks continued late into the night in major cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai, India's economic hub.

Last year, Indian media outlet Deccan Herald reported that despite the approval of "low-emission fireworks," the AQI in some parts of New Delhi exceeded 400 on the day after Diwali. The outlet said that "the average PM2.5 concentration in New Delhi at the time was 488 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest recorded during Diwali in the past five years."

Air pollution linked to 3.8 million deaths over 10 years

A masked man jogs through thick smog in New Delhi, India, on the day after the Diwali festival on Nov. 9 (local time). AP-Yonhap News

India suffers from air pollution even under normal conditions, as emissions from aging vehicles, coal-fired power plants and factories are compounded by crop burning and waste incineration in rural areas. The medical journal The Lancet estimated that air pollution was linked to 3.8 million deaths in India from 2009 to 2019.

With air pollution expected to worsen ahead of winter, the Delhi government has required 50% of employees at government agencies and private companies in Delhi to work from home from Nov. 1 through Jan. 31, 2027. Construction work that generates dust has also been banned during the same period.

Last year, the Delhi government also attempted artificial rain with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), using a technique that induces rainfall by dispersing particles such as silver iodide into clouds. It allocated 32.1 million rupees (about 460 million won) for a total of five trials, but no rain fell on the day of the first test because there was insufficient moisture in the clouds. IIT Kanpur later said it had observed only traces of rainfall, measuring 0.1 millimeters in Noida and 0.2 millimeters in Greater Noida, both nearby. Manindra Agrawal, director of IIT Kanpur, said, "This is an emergency measure that can be used only when pollution levels are very high and suitable clouds are present."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.