Delhi's Deepavali air quality at three-year low before festival begins

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has documented that Delhi's air quality has deteriorated to concerning levels even before the Deepavali celebrations commence, marking the worst baseline conditions recorded over the past three years at this stage of the festive calendar.

The timing is significant, as Deepavali traditionally coincides with a period of heightened pollution in the national capital. Seasonal factors including reduced wind speeds, temperature inversions, and the widespread burning of firecrackers during festival celebrations typically combine to push air quality to hazardous levels in November.

The CSE analysis underscores the compounding nature of Delhi's air quality crisis. With pre-festival conditions already at their most compromised state in recent years, environmental and health officials face mounting pressure to implement strict pollution control measures throughout the festive period to prevent further deterioration.

The findings add to growing public health concerns in Delhi, where air pollution consistently ranks as a major environmental challenge affecting millions of residents. The data suggests that even without festival-related emissions, the capital faces significant air quality headwinds during this season, placing particular urgency on emission reduction strategies across transportation, industry, and construction sectors.