Air quality index of state shoots up post Diwali, Baddi worst hit

On Diwali, Baddi experienced a significant spike in air pollution, with the air quality index (AQI) rising from 180 to 392. Meanwhile, Shimla registered a smaller rise, moving from an AQI of 44 to 66. This was a slight improvement compared to last year, when Shimla’s AQI reached 78 during the festival. The AQI is a measure of particulate matter, nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and ammonia.

The state’s average AQI stood at 140 as against 84 registered a day earlier. The government’s directions to permit bursting of crackers merely for two hours — from 8 pm to 10 pm — went up in smoke as the air quality suffered visible deterioration in major industrial towns.

Though the key towns of Sundernagar, Parwanoo and Nalagarh had registered a sizable improvement in the air quality with their annual average being 60 or below, the AQI crossed the 100 mark this year on Diwali.

The scenario was no better in the state’s oldest industrial town of Parwanoo where an AQI of 217 was registered — a quantum leap from the previous day’s score of 85 and 87 registered during last year’s Diwali.

An incremental increase was registered in major industrial towns due to large scale movement of vehicles, besides bursting of crackers. The bordering industrial town of Paonta Sahib saw a rise in the AQI from 114 to 145, while it was 111 last year. In Barotiwala, the AQI soared upto 139 than previous day’s score of 96.

Among 12 towns, where the State Pollution Control Board monitored the air quality index on pre-Diwali as well as on the day of the festival, the surge in air quality was exceptional. The Nalagarh industrial cluster also suffered deterioration in the air quality from the AQI soaring to 128 from 88. Last year, the AQI stood at 85.

In Dharamsala, air quality showed improvement compared to last year, with the AQI dropping from 140 to 109 on Diwali.

In Una, the air quality improved from last year’s AQI of 153 to 122 this year, despite a rise from the previous day’s 104. Manali saw its AQI more than double from 36 to 80, a notable increase compared to last year’s 55. Kala Amb experienced a jump from 50 to 84, similar to last year’s AQI of 83.

In Sundernagar, the AQI rose to 104 from 84 before Diwali, a significant increase from last year’s 64. Damtal’s air quality deteriorated slightly, with AQI rising from 63 to 98 on Diwali.