Air quality up in smoke as New Delhi defies cracker ban

The air quality index stood at 348, said Swiss firm IQ Air, taking pollution into the hazardous category, pushing Delhi to the top of a real-time list as the world's most polluted city.

Indian authorities have had trouble enforcing the ban on firecrackers during Diwali. (EPA PHOTO)

Local government officials have banned use of firecrackers during Diwali and the winter in the past few years, in line with Supreme Court directives, but have had difficulty enforcing the measure despite the threat of jail.

Some Hindu groups say the ban interferes with observance of the festival, a position the Delhi government has previously countered by saying the ban aims to save lives.

Friday's smog also coincided with waste burning on farms in northern India that aggravates air quality at the beginning of winter each year as cold, heavy air traps pollutants from a variety of sources. (Reporting by Shivam Patel; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)