A day after Diwali, the air quality index of the national capital slumped to ‘very poor’ category on Monday owing to the excessive use of crackers, officials said.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 358 Monday evening after witnessing two days of improved air quality.

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Ten places in the national capital recorded AQI levels above 400 that fall under the ‘severe’ category. The highest AQI level of 432 was witnessed at Jahangirpuri, it said.

The sudden spike in the air pollution is being attributed to the excessive use of firecrackers in the city on Diwali on Sunday despite a ban imposed by the Supreme Court.

The micro pollutants PM 2.5 levels have shot up way beyond the safe standards, and these are said to penetrate deep into the respiratory system and trigger health problems, experts rue.

Delhi’s nearby cities like Gurugram, Faridabad, Greater Noida, Noida and Ghaziabad also recorded spiked pollution levels after Diwali night.

Surprisingly, on Friday and Saturday, the air pollution levels had reduced almost half as a result of rain and increased wind speed. The entire northern region had benefitted from the change in weather, witnessing improvement in the air quality levels.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said conditions seem not in favour as the minimum temperature has witnessed a drop, and is likely to hover around 12 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai accused BJP leaders of instigating people to burn crackers, resulting in more air pollution.