Delhiites head out for cleaner air in the hills

Diwali is over and Delhiites are feeling the effects of the celebrations.

- AKSHARA SRIVASTAVA

The air quality index (AQI) in the city spiked, prompting many to leave the city for a short while, to resorts outside, or even to places with better AQI such as Corbett, Bhimtal, and Dehradun.

“I didn’t even celebrate at home this year. Our extended family rented a cottage near Nainital, where we got together to celebrate the festival — among loved ones and with no crackers but just diyas and fairy lights, which we hung around our villa ourselves,” said Vivek Saxena, 38, an IT engineer based in Gurugram.

“I have a five-year-old son who I did not wish to expose to crackers and the AQI, which I was sure would become unhealthy. So, we have driven down to Jim Corbett for the week,” said Shriya Mukherjee, a resident of Delhi’s Chittar-anjan Park. Any rise in AQI level means a drop in air quality. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, AQI levels in Delhi had risen to 351, the very poor category, as of 4 pm on Tuesday. These numbers are an average of 24 hours.