Himachal Pradesh’s air quality becomes ‘very poor’ in some areas after Diwali

Himachal’s Baddi (industrial area) was the most polluted with a “very poor” AQI of 392 (File)

Shimla:

Air quality at several places in Himachal Pradesh deteriorated after Diwali due to bursting of crackers, officials said.

This year, the average AQI in the state was 140 (moderate), compared to 92 last year.

According to the pollution department data, industrial areas in the state recorded air quality ranging from moderate to very poor, and Baddi (industrial area) was the most polluted with a “very poor” AQI of 392, followed by Parwanoo at 217, Poanta Sahib at 145, Barotiwala at 139, Nalagarh at 128 and Una at 122.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, 401 and 450 ‘severe’ and above 450 ‘serious plus’.

Shimla’s air quality was satisfactory with an AQI of 66 against 78 last year as the district administration had allowed the release of firecrackers only from 8 pm to 10 pm. Although some violations were observed, the majority of residents complied with directions, officials said.

The production of green crackers and its supply chain have increased. Since people are aware of environmental hazards and regulations in place, people generally prefer to burst green crackers and adhere to norms, she added.

Meanwhile, Dharamshala recorded an AQI of 109, up from 140 last year. However, Manali saw an increase in air pollution, with AQi increasing from 55 in 2023 to 80 in 2024 on Diwali day.

The industrial areas of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh, Poanta Sahib, Una, Damtak and Kala Amb have seen AQI above 100, but the overall air quality in the state is average, the data showed.

The data also showed that noise pollution on Diwali fell by 20 percent compared to last year, officials said on Saturday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)