NEW DELHI, Nov 5 (Reuters) - India's capital territory of Delhi is keen to use artificial rain to fight air pollution this year, its Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday, as deteriorating air quality in the region led to an increase in respiratory illnesses.

The Supreme Court also rapped the Delhi government on Monday and demanded to know how the ban on firecrackers was not fully implemented.

AQI recorded in areas in Delhi. As per Central Pollution Control Board data, the AQI in some places were recorded in ‘severe’ category. Mundka recorded severe category air wit

Environment Minister Gopal Rai stated that 88% of the pollution-related complaints submitted via the Green Delhi App have been addressed.

IMD experts warn this stillness in the air will continue to make the dispersal of pollutants increasingly challenging in the coming days.

In areas like Punjabi Bagh, Wazirpur, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Rohini, Moti Bagh, and Patparganj, the air quality worsened with AQI hit the ‘severe’ category.

Delhi’s air quality worsens with AQI above 370, prompting stringent pollution controls. Over 54,000 vehicles were fined, construction sites shut down, and GRAP measures deployed to curb emissions.

Every year during Diwali a defiance of the Delhi government’s blanket firecracker ban deteriorates the air quality in the capital.

A thick layer of toxic smog cloaked India's capital on Friday as smoke from firecrackers used to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, pushed air pollution to hazardous levels.

Delhi’s air quality continued to deteriorate on Tuesday, November 5, as pollution levels remained in the 'very poor' to 'severe' categories, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed at least 11 of Delhi’s 40 ambient air quality monitoring stations recorded pollution in the severe range at 8am