Delhi was enveloped in a thick haze as residents burst firecrackers during Diwali celebrations on November 8. A scientific assessment has found that firecrackers were the biggest contributor to the city’s PM2.5 pollution in the hours following the festivities. An analysis of scientific data by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, found that firecrackers accounted for 71.1% of PM2.5 pollution between 1 am and 9 am on November 9, after Diwali celebrations had largely ended.
PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter. Its concentration in the air is measured in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³). Other sources, including vehicle emissions, biofuel combustion, wood burning and mineral dust, also contributed to pollution during this period. However, their share was negligible compared with the contribution from firecrackers.
Nearly 500 Treated for Firecracker and Burn Injuries in Delhi
Nearly 500 people were treated at Delhi hospitals for firecracker and other Diwali injuries between November 7 and 9, 2026, from minor burns to eye wounds that needed emergency surgery. A Hindustan Times compilation across five hospitals puts the toll at 499; roughly one in three of those cases was an eye injury. The Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS saw nearly 110 eye-injury patients on Diwali night (November 8) and in the early hours of November 9, most hurt by firecrackers. Children and young adults made up the majority.
The 18 emergency cases had corneal perforations or lacerations, wounds that break through the clear front of the eye and can cost sight if not closed quickly. The 72 others had injuries that did not threaten vision and were managed with medicines and observation. AIIMS was not alone. GTB Hospital treated 34 eye injuries among its 172 Diwali cases, and Aakash Healthcare in Dwarka saw 11. Across the three, that is about 155 eye injuries, close to a third of the city’s 499 cases.
At Aakash, 9 of the 11 eye patients had foreign particles lodged in the eye, reportedly from “shot” crackers. Dr Prashaant Chaudhry, who heads ophthalmology there, said such embedded particles can damage the eye’s surface and in some cases lead to permanent vision loss. GTB, AIIMS and Safdarjung together treated 466 of the 499 cases. Most were burns to the hands and face; firecrackers caused the large majority, with diyas (oil lamps) and potash behind a handful.
GTB Hospital (east Delhi) recorded 172 Diwali cases on November 8–9: 34 eye injuries and mostly skin burns otherwise. Every patient was discharged after treatment; the hospital reported no deaths and no admissions. AIIMS burns department logged 42 cases by 11 am on November 9. Firecrackers caused 37 and potash 2. Eleven were major burns, four of them in the ICU; five patients had surgery and eight were still admitted.
Safdarjung, home to India’s largest burns unit, saw 135 minor-burn patients in its outpatient department on November 7–8, 129 from firecrackers and 6 from diyas. It admitted another 7 with major burns, 5 from crackers and 2 from diyas. RML Hospital treated 41 burn patients over the Diwali period, 18 of them from firecrackers. Eight were admitted; the rest were sent home with outpatient follow-up. Aakash Healthcare, a private hospital in Dwarka, treated 15 firecracker injuries: 11 to the eyes and 4 burns elsewhere on the body.
