India’s capital awakes to ‘severe’ smog as revellers defy cracker ban

AFP

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NEW DELHI: Toxic smog blanketed India’s capital early Sunday after firecrackers were set off throughout the night to mark the country’s biggest annual festival Diwali despite a ban, further worsening the city’s air quality levels.
India’s environmental court had imposed a ban to stop millions of the explosives being lighted up to mark the Hindu Festival of Light, stressing that residents were already reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the pollution crisis that arises every winter.