Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) show that on this year’s Diwali night, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) reached 345—higher than last year’s 328 and well above the readings from the preceding two years (218 in 2023, 312 in 2022). Monitoring stations reported extreme spikes in particulate matter, with PM2.5 and PM10 levels soaring well beyond safe limits as fireworks were set off almost continuously through the night. The night-long bursting of firecrackers, despite regulations