📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Rajmishra757
Weather
Bhubaneswar’s AQI Surpasses 1,000 on Diwali 2026, Declared Hazardous
✍️ OrissaPOST
🗓 09 Nov 2026, 02:32 AM
👁 17
On Diwali night, Bhubaneswar recorded an Air Quality Index exceeding 1,000, leading officials to label the air hazardous.
Bhubaneswar’s air quality deteriorated dramatically on the night of Diwali 2026, with the real‑time Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing past the 1,000 mark, a level classified as hazardous by the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme. The spike was recorded by the city’s central monitoring station shortly after fireworks displays began across the city.
The surge is attributed to a combination of dense firecracker emissions, stagnant wind conditions and already high baseline pollution levels typical of the pre‑winter period in eastern India. Satellite data showed a thick plume of particulate matter hovering over the capital, limiting dispersion.
Health authorities issued an urgent advisory urging residents, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory ailments, to stay indoors, keep windows closed and use masks if they must venture outside. Emergency rooms in several hospitals reported a rise in cough, breathlessness and eye irritation cases within hours of the peak.
The Odisha State Pollution Control Board announced that it will intensify monitoring throughout the festival season and explore stricter enforcement of firecracker bans in densely populated zones. Officials also warned that similar AQI spikes could recur if mitigation measures are not adopted.
Experts note that the 1,000‑plus reading is among the highest ever recorded for Bhubaneswar during Diwali, underscoring the growing challenge of balancing cultural celebrations with public health concerns.
The surge is attributed to a combination of dense firecracker emissions, stagnant wind conditions and already high baseline pollution levels typical of the pre‑winter period in eastern India. Satellite data showed a thick plume of particulate matter hovering over the capital, limiting dispersion.
Health authorities issued an urgent advisory urging residents, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory ailments, to stay indoors, keep windows closed and use masks if they must venture outside. Emergency rooms in several hospitals reported a rise in cough, breathlessness and eye irritation cases within hours of the peak.
The Odisha State Pollution Control Board announced that it will intensify monitoring throughout the festival season and explore stricter enforcement of firecracker bans in densely populated zones. Officials also warned that similar AQI spikes could recur if mitigation measures are not adopted.
Experts note that the 1,000‑plus reading is among the highest ever recorded for Bhubaneswar during Diwali, underscoring the growing challenge of balancing cultural celebrations with public health concerns.