Fireworks detonated with air quality in New Delhi

The Air Quality Index - or AQI - measures the amount of pollution in the atmosphere. The lower this value, the better the breathable air. Values ​​below 50 are considered ideal - by clicking this link you can see the global index in various cities around the world. In New Delhi, India, this figure reached an exorbitant 980 AQI at dawn on Thursday (8), but it is not the worst case scenario, as at the time of writing, the level reaches 999 in some neighborhoods of the capital Indiana, which marks just over 12:20 pm on Friday (9) local time.

Any value over 300 is already considered toxic, so the Indian capital's air was in a critical situation. Despite being a very polluted megalopolis, with almost 22 million inhabitants, being one of the most populous in the world, this week's case has to do with Diwali celebrations, the Festival of Lights.

This is one of the greatest traditions of the Hindu calendar, in which people celebrate their culture and men's relationships with the rest of the world. This year, the population disregarded the period of only two hours intended for fireworks and made the smoke becomes extremely toxic air. Air quality is up to 10 times worse than Beijing's, where the world's most polluted cities are.

Interestingly, this is not the worst scenario ever recorded in New Delhi: Last year, also at Diwali celebrations, one morning began with an AQI of 1000. Annually, about 1 million Indians die of respiratory complications from of pollution.

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