Guides · 6 min read
How to protect yourself from Diwali pollution in Delhi NCR and north India
How to protect yourself from Diwali pollution in Delhi NCR and north India: an hour-by-hour plan, masks, a clean room, and when to see a doctor.
By the Good Air team
In this article · 7 sections
To protect yourself from Diwali pollution, stay indoors on Diwali night, sleep in one closed room with clean air, wear a fitted N95 if you must go out, and keep away from the bursting. Wait until the afternoon before you open windows or exercise. India's health ministry gives the same core advice: stay indoors on the nights of Diwali, wear an N95 or N99 mask, and see a doctor at once if breathing becomes difficult (MoHFW advisory, October 2024).
This year it matters more than usual. Delhi was at 382, Very Poor, on 6 November, two days before Diwali, and GRAP Stage 3 is in force across the NCR. This is general guidance, not medical advice: if you have a heart or lung condition, your doctor's plan comes first.
How bad is the air where you live?
Diwali smoke lands on very different air across north India. These are 24-hour averages from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 4 pm on 6 November:
| City | AQI | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 382 | Very Poor |
| Gurugram | 368 | Very Poor |
| Hisar | 333 | Very Poor |
| Noida | 303 | Very Poor |
| Meerut | 265 | Poor |
| Kanpur | 238 | Poor |
| Jaipur | 207 | Poor |
| Ludhiana | 204 | Poor |
| Lucknow | 193 | Moderate |
| Varanasi | 147 | Moderate |
| Chandigarh | 70 | Satisfactory |
Source: CPCB bulletin, 6 November. Some of these rest on a single station: Hisar and Ludhiana have one each, and Chandigarh reported from one of three.
Delhi NCR and Haryana start worst, so the advice below applies in full there. Further east and north the starting point is lower, but a still night can change that fast. Check your own city, because a figure for the region can hide a bad neighbourhood.
Bursting in Delhi NCR is allowed from 6 to 7 am and 8 to 10 pm on 7 and 8 November, and the same hours apply in Rajasthan's NCR districts (Patrika, 4 November). We could not confirm 2026 orders for the rest of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana or Bihar, so check your district's notice. Our Diwali rules guide has the details.
Why being close to crackers matters most
The smoke you breathe depends on how near you stand. Researchers in India measured fine particles (PM2.5) where a person would stand while six common firecrackers burned (Shah et al, Lung India, 2019). Peaks ran from 4,860 µg/m³ for a flower pot to 64,500 µg/m³ for a snake tablet, which lasted about 3 minutes though the tablet burned for about 9 seconds. A sparkler peaked at 10,390 µg/m³ and a ground spinner at 9,490. For scale, Delhi's early-afternoon average was 39 µg/m³ in our October hourly data.
The study tested one firecracker at a time and measured only PM2.5, so these are close-up peaks, not a measure of a whole night. The practical point stands: children crouching over a snake tablet or holding a sparkler get far more than anyone watching from a distance. The ministry advises people with asthma or similar lung disease to avoid burning crackers altogether. Burning fewer is also what it asks of everyone.
Your Diwali plan, hour by hour
Today and tomorrow morning
- Check that inhalers and other regular medicines will last through the holiday. The ministry says people with chronic lung or heart disease should keep them readily available.
- Buy N95, KN95 or FFP2 masks if you have none, and try one on.
- Choose your clean room, ideally the one where the most vulnerable person sleeps, and clean the purifier filter if you have one.
- Do your frying and heavy cooking early, between noon and 4 pm if you can, when opening a window does the least harm. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists frying among the things that fill a closed home with fine particles (EPA, updated 4 November 2026).
Evening, before 8 pm
- Shut windows and outside doors before the bursting starts.
- Keep the puja simple indoors. The ministry advises against mosquito coils and incense sticks in closed rooms and against havan indoors when the air is poor, and the EPA lists candles and incense as indoor sources. A few diyas near a doorway add less than many in a closed room.
8 pm to midnight
- Stay indoors. The ministry's Diwali advice is direct: stay indoors during the nights of Diwali.
- Keep children, older relatives and anyone with heart or lung disease in the clean room.
- If you do go out to watch, stand well back and wear your mask.
Overnight
- Sleep in the clean room with the door shut. Run the purifier on high if you have one, as the EPA advises, in the room where people spend the most time.
- If you run an air conditioner, use recirculate mode. The ministry advises this for buildings and vehicles.
The morning after
- Skip the morning walk. The ministry advises against outdoor walks, runs and exercise in the early morning and late evening on Poor to Severe days. The morning after Diwali is often the worst of it: most of the night's smoke shows up in the next day's CPCB figure.
- Air the house between noon and 4 pm, the window the ministry gives. Our hourly data for Delhi NCR found the same cleanest hours.
- Clean with a wet mop instead of a broom, so settled dust stays down.
- Check the live reading before you plan any exercise, and see what AQI is safe for running.
How to make a clean room
Pick a room everyone can fit in, close the windows and doors, avoid any smoke source inside it, and run a portable air cleaner that does not produce ozone (EPA, above). Size matters: our purifier guide shows how to match one to your room. The ministry warns against purifiers that work by generating ozone.
No purifier? A closed room with no smoke source still helps. The ministry says that when complete escape is difficult, even some measures give a degree of protection. More steps are in how to improve indoor air quality.
If you can't stay indoors
Many people can't: police, drivers, delivery riders, sanitation workers and vendors work through the festival. The ministry names outdoor workers among the most exposed (ETV Bharat, 12 November 2025).
- Wear a fitted N95 or N99. The ministry says paper masks, handkerchiefs, scarves and cloth are not effective.
- Stay away from slow, heavy traffic where you can.
- In a car, keep the windows shut and set the AC to recirculate.
- Wash your eyes with running water, gargle with warm water, and drink enough water, as the ministry suggests. These ease irritation; they don't undo the exposure.
Who needs to take the most care
The ministry lists children, especially under 5, older adults, pregnant women, and people with lung, heart or stroke-related illness.
- Asthma, COPD and heart disease: avoid exertion, keep medicines to hand, follow your doctor's plan, and watch for symptoms getting worse.
- Children: respirators are not designed to fit them, so clean indoor air is the main protection. See how to protect children from air pollution.
- Pregnant women and older relatives: treat Diwali night as a stay-in night, and ask your doctor about anything specific to you.
When to see a doctor
The ministry says to consult a doctor at once if breathing becomes difficult during Diwali, and to see the nearest doctor for breathlessness, giddiness, cough, chest discomfort or pain, or red, watery eyes. If you are coughing or wheezing with your chest tight, stop any exertion. Get urgent help for chest pain, severe breathlessness, sudden weakness in an arm or leg, or a face drooping on one side. A scratchy throat the next day is common; our guide to pollution cough covers what helps and when to worry.
What we don't know yet is how bad this Diwali night will be, and we found no new 2026 health advisory, so this rests on the ministry's latest full guidance. Our Delhi tracker will carry hourly readings from the evening of 8 November.
Frequently asked questions
Should I go for a morning walk the day after Diwali?
Better not. India's health ministry advises against outdoor walks and exercise in the early morning on Poor to Severe days. Wait for the afternoon and check the live AQI first.
Does an N95 mask protect against firecracker smoke?
It filters the fine particles if it fits well, and the ministry recommends N95 or N99 masks for Diwali. Paper masks and cloth are not effective. Masks don't remove every pollutant, so keeping your distance still counts.
Should I keep windows closed on Diwali night?
Yes. Close them before the bursting starts and keep them shut until the afternoon after. The ministry advises airing rooms between noon and 4 pm on Poor to Severe days.
Are green crackers safe for people with asthma?
No firecracker is advised for them. Green crackers pollute less but still pollute, and the ministry tells people with asthma or similar lung disease to avoid burning crackers.
How long should I stay indoors after Diwali?
Until the reading falls back. Smoke usually eases over one or two days if the wind picks up, but on still, cold days it can linger, so go by your city's live AQI, not the calendar.
