India, Oct. 19 -- The district's air quality remained in the "poor" category on Saturday, with an AQI of 258, marginally higher than Friday's 266, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Two of the district's four monitoring stations contributed to the reading, which marks the third consecutive day of deteriorating air.

Officials said the spike coincides with the ongoing sale and bursting of "green firecrackers," permitted between October 18 and 21 under Supreme Court orders, which has offered temporary relief to traders but further strained the city's already worsening air.

According to Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), the concentration of fine particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 has increased sharply, pus...