Uttar Pradesh's emergency system was pushed to roughly double its normal load over the Diwali weekend, and hospitals in Lucknow saw one of their busiest festive periods. Official figures released on Tuesday, 10 November, and hospital data reported by two newspapers show where the pressure fell: police calls, road accidents, cracker burns and fires.

UP-112 handled more than 2 lakh cases in three days

According to figures released by UP-112 headquarters and reported by Hindustan Times and The Times of India, the service attended to 2,05,738 cases between 7 and 9 November. The usual daily average is about 38,000, so the three days together amounted to roughly 1.8 times a normal three-day volume of around 1.14 lakh.

The load rose day by day. On Chhoti Diwali, 7 November, it handled 53,264 cases. On Diwali, 8 November, the figure was 74,816, and on Monday, 9 November, it peaked at 77,753.

Police-related requests were the largest share, about 1.56 lakh over the three days: around 41,000 on 7 November, nearly 56,000 on Diwali and about 59,000 on 9 November. These covered disputes, law-and-order complaints and public safety concerns. Ambulance help was arranged in 36,817 cases and fire-related emergencies numbered 7,029. Under the Savera scheme, teams helped 2,018 registered senior citizens, and 11 women travelling alone late at night were escorted home under the Escort for Women Safety initiative, which runs between 10 pm and 6 am.

Lucknow hospitals: burns, blasts and road accidents

Hindustan Times reports that at least 612 injured patients reached five major government hospitals in Lucknow over the festival days. The Times of India says more than 2,000 patients came to the major government hospitals' emergency departments over two days, against about 1,100 at the same five hospitals during last year's Diwali period. The two papers count different things, one counting injured patients and the other all emergency visits, and over different date windows, so the figures should not be added or compared directly.

At the KGMU Trauma Centre, Hindustan Times counted 203 patients over 7, 8 and 9 November, including 30 hurt by exploding firecrackers and eight struck by them. Dr Vijay Kumar, head of surgery, said severe cases were higher than last year, with crackers bursting in hands or pockets causing fractures, deep wounds and in some cases loss of fingers. The Times of India recorded 160 patients at the trauma centre on 8 and 9 November: 110 road accident victims, 44 cracker injuries and six burns.

Other hospitals reported the following, according to the two newspapers:

  • Civil Hospital: 930 emergency visits and 54 admissions, with 98 burn cases and 52 accident referrals (Times of India); more than 150 injured, 98 of them with cracker burns (Hindustan Times).
  • RMLIMS: 780 emergency patients over two days, including 35 burn victims and 32 emergency suturing procedures (Times of India).
  • Lokbandhu Hospital: 112 injured, 45 with burns (Hindustan Times).
  • Balrampur Hospital: 78 emergency patients, 69 from road accidents and nine from crackers (Hindustan Times).

Doctors told the Times of India that many people come a day after the celebrations, which stretches emergency services, and that most festival injuries are preventable.

Air quality in Lucknow

Hindustan Times also reports that Lucknow's average AQI, based on six monitoring stations, rose from 207 on 7 November to 233 on Diwali and 245 on 9 November, all in the poor range, before dropping to a moderate 172 on Tuesday as winds picked up. The paper notes that the capital's air has been worse the day after Diwali than the day before in every year since 2015, according to CPCB data.

Why it matters

Every Diwali brings the same pattern, and this year the numbers show it again: fire calls, road accidents and burns spike together. For families, the practical lessons are simple. Keep a bucket of water near fireworks, never hold or carry lit crackers, keep children and pets away, and drive slowly during the festival rush. In an emergency, dial 112 for police, ambulance or fire.

What next

Officials have not announced any review of this year's figures. Hospitals are expected to see a few more cracker-related cases through Bhai Dooj and the Chhath period. Kahaan Kya Hua will report if the health department or police release a final tally.

Sources: Hindustan Times, The Times of India.