‘Pollution will subside’: Yogi Adityanath backs Diwali firecracker use despite AQI spike

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday defended the widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali, saying the spike in air pollution would subside and questioning why critics of firecrackers had remained silent when the corrupt polluted the system in the past.Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at the Deepotsav 2026 celebrations in Ayodhya on Saturday. (ANI FILE)“No one is saying anything to those who polluted the system with their corrupt deeds. If the public lights firecrackers one day, then pollution is a problem. It will subside too. That is not a problem,” the chief minister said at an official event in Lucknow to distribute appointment letters to newly selected junior assistants in the revenue department.The chief minister’s remarks come against the backdrop of concerns in Lucknow and other parts of the state over the thick blanket of acrid smoke on Diwali night and a midnight road visibility of just 200 metres following unrestricted bursting of firecrackers.Since 2015, Lucknow’s air has been worse the day after Diwali than the day before, according to the CPCB 4pm bulletins.The air quality index (AQI) in Lucknow, which has six monitoring stations, rose from 207 on November 7 to 233 on November 8 and 245 on November 9 before winds dispersed the pollutants and helped bring back the AQI to a moderate’ 172 on Tuesday.Air quality deteriorated sharply across several cities in Uttar Pradesh. On Diwali, AQI in Ghaziabad was 344 (’very poor’), Noida 318 (very poor), Greater Noida 299 (poor) and Meerut 295 (poor). On the following day (Monday), the AQI in Ghaziabad was 324 (very poor), Noida 332 (very poor), Greater Noida 252 (poor), and Meerut 269 (poor), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).Under CPCB’s classification, an AQI between 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’ and can cause breathing discomfort for most people with prolonged exposure. The ‘very poor’ category, ranging from 301 to 400, can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure, even among healthy people.In his speech, Adityanath contrasted the present situation with the period before 2017 -- when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not in power -- claiming that festivals such as Holi, Diwali, Vijayadashami, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Christmas, Eid, Guru Parv and Makar Sankranti were often preceded by communal tensions and riots under previous governments.“Before 2017, whenever any festival approached, be it Holi, Diwali, Vijayadashami, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Christmas, Eid, Guru Parv or Makar Sankranti, riots would begin. Every person felt insecure,” he said, according to a PTI report