India's capital Delhi woke up to a toxic haze as air quality worsened after the Hindu festival of Diwali, despite a court directive to use less-polluting crackers.
People in the city and its suburbs burst crackers late into Monday night, defying the court's order to use only 'green' fireworks for a limited period of time.
Delhi, which has high pollution through the year due to factors including vehicular emissions and dust, had already seen air quality dipping over the past few days.
On Tuesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 360, according to government data. The AQI measures the level of PM 2.5 - fine particulate matter that can clog lungs and cause a host of diseases - in the air.
Levels between 101 and 200 are considered moderate, while those between 201 and 300 are "poor". Between 301 and 400 is categorised as "very poor" and a figure higher than 400 is considered "severe".
