In pictures: Smog blankets Indian cities after Deepavali as firecrackers push air quality to ‘severe’

Thick smog enveloped several Indian cities on Monday (November 9, 2026), after firecrackers were burst late into Deepavali night on Sunday (November 8, 2026). Delhi’s air quality touched the ‘severe’ category, while Mumbai, Lucknow, Chennai and Hyderabad also recorded ‘poor’ or worse readings.

Here’s a collection of pictures of the haze from across the country:

A thick layer of toxic haze engulfs Delhi as people commute near Rashtrapati Bhavan, shrouded in thick smog during the early morning of November 9, 2026, a day after Deepavali. The city’s 24-hour average AQI was 370, in the “very poor” category, at 9 a.m.

People jog near India Gate, shrouded in thick smog, as Delhi’s AQI touched 404 in the ‘severe’ category at 4 a.m. on November 9, 2026, according to the CPCB’s live dashboard.

Burari Crossing recorded Delhi’s highest AQI on November 9, 2026, at 441, followed by Vivek Vihar at 437 and Delhi Technological University at 434. People walking near India Gate.

Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is in force across Delhi and adjoining districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, following the CAQM’s decision. A view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, shrouded in thick smog during the early morning hours after Deepavali night.

The Supreme Court had allowed only green firecrackers in specified time windows on November 7 and 8, 2026, but the more polluting traditional crackers were also available in Delhi markets.

PM2.5 refers to fine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometres or smaller, which can enter deep into the lungs and the bloodstream and cause respiratory and other health problems. People commute near Rashtrapati Bhavan, shrouded in thick smog.

Kherwadi-Bandra East in Mumbai recorded an AQI of 264 on November 9, 2026, followed by Sewri at 226, Ghatkopar at 221 and Chembur at 216. Byculla recorded an AQI of 193, Mindspace-Malad West 191, Kandivali West 187 and Worli 148 in Mumbai on November 9. Kurla was the lowest at 96.

Chennai’s AQI slipped to the ‘poor’ category at 213 on the morning of November 9, 2026, according to the CPCB’s Sameer app.

A private sensor at the Chennai home of weather blogger K. Srikanth recorded an AQI of around 1,000 for nearly four hours between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on November 8, 2026. Chennai residents said smoke from firecrackers lingered in cramped residential communities, with visibility so poor at one point that people could barely see one another.

As of 9 a.m. on November 9, 2026, Manali Village recorded Chennai’s highest AQI at 296, followed by Arumbakkam at 265, Kodungaiyur at 215, Royapuram at 184 and Velachery Residential Area at 142.

Hyderabad woke up to a grey, smoggy morning on November 9, 2026, after Deepavali celebrations that went on until 3 a.m. in localities such as Banjara Hills, Panjagutta, S.R. Nagar, Ameerpet and Somajiguda.

Smog shrouds the historic Golconda Fort, PM2.5 in Hyderabad reached 392 μg/m³ at 9.30 p.m. on November 8, 2026, with the city’s AQI averaging 509. Ravi Colony near Masjid Banda in Hyderabad logged an AQI of 995 on November 8, 2026, and Serilingampally recorded 666 at 11.30 p.m., when the city average was 442.

Telangana Pollution Control Board monitors in Hyderabad were out of order as pollution rose on November 8, 2026, with the University of Hyderabad station offline by 10 p.m. The figures come from publicly available monitors. Hyderabad’s AQI was still 178 on November 9, morning, with PM10 at 113 μg/m³.

Lucknow (251), Amritsar (242), Jodhpur (234), Ahmedabad (230), Dehradun (228), Jaipur and Udaipur (223 each), Surat (207), Nagpur (239), Pune (221) and Bhopal (205) also recorded ‘poor’ air quality on November 9, 2026. A vendor walks amid a thick layer of smog, near Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

air pollution / environmental issues / environmental pollution / pollution / Deepavali / Delhi / India / religious festival or holiday