Rajasthan air quality in 'poor' category after Diwali, AQI hits 318 in Bhiwadi

As the festive lights of Diwali fade, a thick blanket of smog engulfs the skies, with air pollution levels rising sharply across major cities in Rajasthan, Delhi and other states.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Rajasthan stood at 243 as of 8 am today. Bhiwadi recorded the highest AQI in the state at 318, while Ajmer Civil Lines reported 228, Kota 227, and Udaipur 220 all falling in the "poor" category. Baran registered an AQI of 207, Hanumangarh 253, Bikaner 231, and Churu 220.

In Mumbai the air quality was recorded at 214, Patna at 224, Jaipur at 231, and Lucknow at 222 all under the "poor" category. Bengaluru's AQI was 94, Chennai's 153, and Hyderabad's 107.


Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, Mumbai, a thin layer of smog was witnessed at the Dadar beach.

As per CPCB parameters, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe. During "very poor" air quality, residents may face breathing discomfort, while "severe" levels can impact even healthy individuals and worsen existing conditions.

New Delhi woke up to a dense layer of smog this morning as the city's air quality deteriorated into the "very poor" category, with several areas recording "severe" pollution levels.

According to the CPCB, Delhi's overall AQI stood at 350 as of 8 am. Bawana recorded 423, Jahangirpuri 407, and Wazirpur 408 the worst affected areas under the "severe" category.

The AQI in Anand Vihar stood at 358, Ashok Vihar 389, Burari Crossing 399, ChandChowk 350, IGI Airport (Terminal 3) 302, ITO 342, Lodhi Road 322, Mundka 366, Najafgarh 336, Narela 358, Patparganj 342 and Punjabi Bagh 376.

Ahead of Diwali, the Supreme Court had relaxed its earlier blanket prohibition on fireworks in the national capital and permitted the sale and use of green fireworks with some conditions.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had imposed Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the National Capital Region with immediate effect on Sunday.