Pimpri Chinchwad recorded the worst air in Maharashtra a day after Diwali, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 301 at 4 p.m. on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) dashboard. Nanded followed at 296 and Pune at 288, with Malegaon at 273 and Nagpur at 268. In all, 13 cities in the state were in the 'poor' or 'very poor' categories on Monday.

Source: World News 24x7 (CPCB data)

301Pimpri Chinchwad AQI — worst in Maharashtra, Mon 4 p.m.
288Pune AQI, up from 115 in the same Diwali period last year
172Mumbai AQI — 'moderate', better than inland cities
13Maharashtra cities in 'poor' or 'very poor' zone

The readings mark a steep year-on-year jump for the Pune region. Pune's AQI rose from 115 in the same Diwali period last year to 288 this year — nearly two-and-a-half times higher — while Pimpri Chinchwad's roughly doubled from 154 to 301. Mumbai and parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region fared comparatively better, with the state capital remaining in the 'moderate' category at 172.

At monitoring-station level, several locations in the twin cities crossed 300 during Monday, with Bhosari in Pimpri Chinchwad recording 330 and Dhankawadi in Pune 316, a second report on the CPCB readings said. Neither the Pune Municipal Corporation nor the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation had announced immediate measures in response to the spike, the report added.

Source: Feedzop news report (CPCB station data)

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) said the widespread deterioration was largely linked to firecracker bursting during Diwali. The CPCB identified PM2.5 — fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs — as the primary pollutant at the monitored locations. Under the CPCB scale, an AQI of 201–300 is 'poor' and 301–400 is 'very poor', a level that can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure, especially among people with lung and heart conditions.

The spike built through the festival weekend. In Pune, the CPCB reading was 163 at 4 p.m. on Sunday before climbing to 218 by 9 p.m. as firecrackers were burst, with the Shivajinagar station at 256, Mirror Now reported, citing the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology's warning that air could slip into the 'very poor' zone. Forecasters expected cooler nights ahead — around 14°C on November 11 and 12 in Pune — to limit the dispersal of pollutants trapped near the ground.

Source: Mirror Now