Toxic haze chokes Delhi

NEW DELHI, Oct 20 (AFP): New Delhi was shrouded in a thick toxic haze Friday after a night of frenzied Diwali fireworks sent the air quality plummeting despite a ban on sale of fireworks aimed at thwarting a repeat of an 'airpocalypse'.

India's Supreme Court had banned the sale of firecrackers ahead of the Hindu festival of lights to prevent a repeat of last year's post-Diwali air pollution crises that left Delhi's 20 million residents gasping for weeks.

But late Thursday the readings for the pollutants hovered around 1,100 microgram per cubic metre in some parts of the city -- 11 times above the prescribed air quality levels of World Health Organisation.

Air quality data from Delhi Pollution Control Committee showed pollution levels in a crowded neighbourhood hit 1,179 around midnight as firework displays reached a crescendo.

Residents of Delhi, rated the most polluted city by WHO in 2014, showed little consideration for the ban, purchasing crackers illegally or using those bought earlier.

The levels had subsided through the night but were still "hazardous" in several districts across the capital Friday morning.