Goa, Nov. 11 -- A distinct and heavily concentrated source triggered Delhi's severe air pollution spike following Diwali: firecrackers. According to an assessment by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), fireworks emissions accounted for more than 80 per cent of the national capital's overall pollution load on the Monday immediately following the festival.

A specific source-apportionment evaluation by IITM estimated that firecrackers contributed 71.1 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 concentration between 1 am and 9 am on November 9. The findings illustrate how drastically the air quality matrix altered over the festive period. Fireworks accounted for just 5.6 per cent of PM2.5 on November 7, before leaping to 43.4 per cent during...