Thick, hazardous smog blankets New Delhi after Diwali fireworks

NEW DELHI (AP) — Thick smog blanketed India’s capital Tuesday, a day after millions celebrated the Hindu festival of Diwali with fireworks that sent air pollution soaring to hazardous levels.

Revelers in New Delhi burst firecrackers late into Monday night, filling the air with smoke and fine particles that mixed with seasonal pollution and stagnant weather conditions. By Tuesday morning, the city’s Air Quality Index had climbed above 350 in several neighborhoods, a level considered “severe” and dangerous to breathe, according to the World Health Organization’s daily recommended maximum exposure.

Visibility also dropped in some parts of the city as a gray haze enveloped streets, high-rises and historical monuments.

“I have never seen anything like this before. We can’t see anything here because of pollution," said Vedant Pachkande, a tourist visiting New Delhi.

India’s top court last week eased a blanket ban on firecrackers in New Delhi during Diwali, allowing limited use of “green firecrackers” that emit fewer pollutants. Developed by federal research institutes, they are designed to cut particulate and gas emissions by about 30%. The court had said they could be used during specific hours from Saturday to Tuesday, but like past years the rule was mostly flouted.

New Delhi and its metropolitan region — home to more than 30 million people — routinely ranks among the world’s most polluted cities during the winter when widespread Diwali fireworks coincide with cooler weather and smoke from crop residue fires set by farmers in nearby states.

Authorities in New Delhi have implemented a set of measures to curb pollution, which include limits on construction activity and restrictions on diesel generators. But environmentalists say long-term solutions, such as cleaner energy and stricter vehicle-emission controls, are needed to prevent the annual crisis.

Rising pollution also cuts the amount of sunshine India receives, a recent study found.

Indian scientists have found that sunshine hours — the time strong sunlight reaches the Earth — have steadily declined across most of India due to rising air pollution, according to a study published this month in Scientific Reports, a journal by Nature Portfolio. The researchers attributed the drop to increasing aerosols — tiny particles from industrial emissions, biomass burning and vehicle pollution.

“We see a greater impact in more polluted regions such as northern India,” said Manoj K. Srivastava, a scientist at Banaras Hindu University and one of the study’s authors.

Srivastava said the reduction in sunshine can affect the amount of solar power India can generate as well as the country’s agricultural productivity apart from impacting local environment and people’s health.

AP reporter Sibi Arasu contributed to this report.

A cyclist pedals through morning smog near the India Gate monument as he transports used home appliances a day after Diwali festival in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A municipal worker sweeps as a person burns firecrackers amidst morning smog in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A woman wears a face mask as she walks amidst morning smog a day after Diwali festival in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Commuters drive amidst morning smog in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A cyclist pedals through morning smog near the India Gate monument as he transports used home appliances a day after Diwali festival in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

People walk in the morning near the India Gate monument amidst morning smog a day after Diwali festival in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)