Delhi AQI at 1800? Delhiite’s post on air apocalypse after Diwali goes viral, netizens weigh in

As Delhi’s air quality dropped to appalling levels post Diwali, a Reddit post highlighted the collective frustration of residents gasping for breath.

One user took to Reddit to express anger and disbelief as the city’s air quality index (AQI) reportedly rose to around 1,800 in some parts – nearly nine times the “severe” threshold. “I’m having trouble breathing because of this shit. People are still shooting crackers like crazy,” the post read.

The user criticized the common justifications used to defend the use of firecrackers during Diwali. He wrote: “Now people will start the stupid argument: ‘Tumko Diwali ke din hi yaad aata hai AQI?’ Well, fireworks were not part of Deepawali celebrations in the first place.

Urging people to rethink how they celebrate, the user added, “Light a diya and enjoy Diwali. Is it so hard to celebrate with your loved ones and not disturb someone’s right to breathe clean air?”

The Redditor also questioned the narrative that crackers play a minimal role in Delhi’s pollution crisis: “If crackers don’t matter, why did the AQI index go from 200-300 yesterday to 1800 today? Please, have some common sense.”

What stood out most about the post was a user’s note stating: “I’m a Hindu FYI before anyone starts asking,” which takes issue with those who describe environmental concerns as anti-festival rhetoric.

Despite the restrictions, the use of fireworks remains rampant, exacerbating the impact of vehicle emissions and waste burning in neighboring countries. As the city chokes, this post sparked an online conversation about compassion, responsibility and the urgent need to reclaim the true spirit of Diwali — the spirit that lights up lives, not lungs.

User weight: “The best option is to leave Delhi either permanently or at least for 2-3 weeks during Diwali, I left on Saturday. I start leaving at this point in 2024, which is the best decision if you can do that, you have the option of working remotely or if you can take time off. I opened Twitter and saw a very large number of people or maybe bots that I can’t tell that they support explosive crackers and somehow they are going to show everyone how amazingly religious they are. So much so that I saw comments saying keep bursting crackers and don’t let anyone sleep, we will show the government what we think about the curfew and restrictions. So the point is we’re all dealing with absolute bitches who will never read this nor this Reddit, and those who do will never care and I wish them sweet lung cancer in the near future. Or just do your best and ask to work from home, stay inside, get a set of N95s if you’re going to be out of your house and limit that, make that investment in getting an air purifier and sealing your house.

Another user wrote: “I had to take paracetamol at 7pm and another now because the pollution caused a severe headache. It hurts to feel nauseous at a festival. I can never enjoy it at the expense of other people’s happiness and health.”

A third user commented: “I’m sorry. That’s all I can say. Take care of your health somehow, my friend. Breathing problems are no joke.”

“Firecracker ho barali ho gadi ho jo bhi hai theke karo na. “Blame game chalta rita hai,” another user said.