Delhi smog passes monitor limits as Diwali fireworks stoke pollution

Delhi's air pollution monitors could not register the worst of the smog over the Diwali weekend, with concentrations passing the instruments' upper measurement limit at 66 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum, regulators said, according to Dawn.

The admission followed accusations from opposition politicians that authorities deliberately let official readings go blank for several hours overnight from Sunday into Monday, as firework smoke pushed pollution higher during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Dawn reported that New Delhi, one of the world's most polluted capitals, is entering its winter smog season, when vehicle exhaust and other emissions are trapped near the ground.

Anadolu Agency reported no let-up on Friday in what it called "severe" air pollution levels in the Indian capital, citing the Swiss air quality firm IQAir, which ranked Delhi the most polluted city in the world that day.

The argument over firecrackers ran alongside the health data. Asia News Network reported that Diwali fireworks had opened a divide in India as the country deals with its pollution crisis, and carried no further detail in its published headline.

Insurance figures put a cost on the exposure. Policybazaar, an Indian insurance marketplace, recorded 38,554 pollution-related health claims in the 2026 fiscal year, up 4.34 times from 8,875 in the 2023 fiscal year, Insurance Asia reported. Payouts rose to $2.6m from $569,630, with the average claim at $668.

Cardiovascular conditions made up 43.5% of the claims and respiratory infections 35%, followed by pneumonia at 11.2% and bronchitis at 6%. Delhi accounted for the largest number of claims at 8,093, ahead of Pune at 4,927, Bengaluru at 4,736, Mumbai at 3,370 and Hyderabad at 3,169. Claimants aged 31 to 55 made up 59% of the total, and people aged 55 and above another 31%. October to March accounted for 56% of the year's claims.

Rohan Goel, business head of health insurance at Policybazaar, said the data showed pollution-related health risks extending beyond respiratory illness, with cardiovascular conditions taking the largest share, Insurance Asia reported.