New Delhi, Oct. 22 -- The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi plummeted to its worst levels in the last five years after Diwali on Tuesday morning, according to a recent report.

The post-Diwali PM 2.5 average was recorded at 488 µg/m³, marking a 212 per cent increase from pre-Diwali levels, an analysis by Climate Trends, a research organisation focused on environmental and climate change, revealed.

And this despite a 77 per cent plunge in stubble burning incidents this October due to unprecedented floods in Punjab and Haryana, the report further says.

The findings suggest that while curbing farm fires alone isn't enough to clean Delhi's toxic air, firecracker emissions remain the dominant cause of Delhi's short-term AQI collapse...