Diwali Celebrations Impact Air Quality: Levels Recorded as ‘Very Poor’ in Patna, But No Locations Reach ‘Severe’ Status

Patna: The vibrant skies of Patna, adorned with dazzling firecrackers during Diwali celebrations on Sunday night, have prompted a closer examination of air quality levels. The aftermath of the festivities revealed sobering figures in the daily Air Quality Index (AQI) report released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Monday evening at 4 pm, with Begusarai registering the highest AQI in the country at 393.

The AQI serves as a critical yardstick, ranging from 0 to 500, where higher values indicate increased air pollution and heightened health concerns. Post-Diwali, Patna’s AQI stood at 333, categorizing it as ‘very poor.’ However, this reading was still lower than the AQI levels recorded in Delhi-NCR. Delhi measured at 358, Noida at 363, and Gurugram at 349 on Monday.

In the AQI scale, values between zero and 50 are considered ‘good,’ 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory,’ 101 to 200 ‘moderate,’ 201 to 300 ‘poor,’ 301 to 400 ‘very poor,’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe.’ Notably, no locations in the country reported AQI levels in the ‘severe’ category on Monday.

According to CPCB, a severe AQI level can adversely affect healthy individuals and have a significant impact on those with existing health conditions. A ‘very poor’ day, as indicated by the AQI, may lead to respiratory illnesses with prolonged exposure.

In Bihar, several places reported higher AQI levels, including Chhapra (360), Bhagalpur (350), Purnia (347), and Siwan (343), among others.

“Deterioration in the ambient air quality of Bihar is being observed but it has not reached the severe category yet,” said Devendra Kumar Shukla, chairman of Bihar State Pollution Control Board.

He added: “The main reason for deterioration in the Ambient Air Quality in the State of Bihar is the presence of particulate matter like particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) and PM2.5 in it. Recently the poor ambient air quality recorded in Delhi and other cities has improved due to rains. It is expected to get better in Bihar also after the rains.”