Post-Diwali Air Pollution: Delhi Records Worst AQI Among Major Cities; Check Air Quality In Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata And Others
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The national capital woke up to a thick layer of smog, with multiple monitoring stations recording severe pollution levels.
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Post-Diwali Air Pollution
Air quality turned bad in several Indian cities on Monday, November 9, following Diwali festivities, which released firecracker emissions into the air, contributing to the already high pollution levels.
The national capital woke up to a thick layer of smog, with multiple monitoring stations recording severe pollution levels. Meanwhile, cities such as Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad also experienced varying degrees of air quality deterioration.
According to early-morning readings reported by AQI.in, Delhi's AQI reached 776 at 6.51 am on Monday. Lucknow recorded an alarming AQI of 500, while Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad also reported unhealthy air quality.
CITY-WISE AQI ON NOVEMBER 9
According to CPCB monitoring data reported on Monday, the following cities recorded these AQI levels:
| City | AQI | Category |
| --------- | --- | ---------------------- |
| Delhi | 370 | Very Poor |
| Varanasi | 306 | Very Poor |
| Ghaziabad | 363 | Very Poor |
| Noida | 340 | Very Poor |
| Faridabad | 342 | Very Poor |
| Gurugram | 328 | Very Poor |
| Pune | 242 | Poor |
| Jaipur | 223 | Poor |
| Ahmedabad | 231 | Poor |
| Chennai | 211 | Poor |
| Lucknow | 250 | Poor |
| Kolkata | 164 | Moderate |
| Mumbai | 171 | Moderate |
| Hyderabad | 122 | Moderate |
| Bengaluru | 129 | Moderate/Satisfactory* |
It considers Bengaluru's 129 to be satisfactory, while the CPCB's grading scale puts it in the moderate range of 101-200, according to the source. City-level values are reported and not individual locality peaks.
The Delhi-NCR also saw a high pollution level.
The level of pollution was also very high in Delhi-NCR. The AQI of Ghaziabad was 363, Noida came next with 340, Faridabad with 342 and Gurugram with 328.
Severe pollution was also reported by several monitoring areas in the area. The new Tehsil-Loni in Ghaziabad had an AQI of 463 and Sonia Vihar in Delhi had an AQI of 457.
HYDERABAD RECORDS MODERATE AIR QUALITY
According to the CPCB data, among the top cities, Hyderabad had an AQI of 122 which falls in the moderate category. Bengaluru came next with 129 and Mumbai and Kolkata with 171 and 164 respectively.
WHY DOES AIR POLLUTION INCREASE AFTER DIWALI?
Particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10 are emitted into the air when firecrackers are lit. These contaminants are in addition to emissions from vehicles, construction and industries and other sources.
Pollutants can stay near the surface during winter when temperatures are lower, lower wind speeds and atmospheric conditions do not facilitate dispersion.
However, the AQI values vary during the day. The above city wise figures provided by the CPCB are as per their November 9 report while the other early morning readings like Delhi (776), Hyderabad (207) are real time readings from AQI.
