Chennai: Air pollution levels in Chennai have risen sharply following Diwali celebrations, with the city's average Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing to 159, raising concerns over deteriorating air quality despite intermittent rainfall during the festivities, IANS reported on Monday, November 9.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

Several parts of the city recorded significantly higher pollution levels, with Royapuram emerging as the worst-affected locality, registering an AQI of 238, which falls under the 'Poor' category. According to air quality monitoring data cited by IANS, Perungudi recorded an AQI of 175, followed by Manali at 168, Kodungaiyur at 166 and Arumbakkam at 165 — indicating a substantial increase across several residential and industrial neighbourhoods.

Source: IANS via HiIndia

Sharp rise from last year's readings

The latest figures indicate a sharp deterioration compared with the corresponding period last year, when the city's average AQI stood at 56 on November 6 and 74 on November 7, IANS reported. Under India's air quality classification, an AQI between 101 and 200 is 'Moderate', while readings between 201 and 300 are categorised as 'Poor'. Elevated pollution levels can cause breathing discomfort, particularly among children, elderly people and those with asthma or other respiratory ailments.

The surge comes in the wake of widespread bursting of firecrackers during Diwali across Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, celebrations began on Wednesday and continued through Thursday, and although intermittent rainfall was reported in several parts of the city, it did little to discourage residents — many used breaks in the showers to continue celebrating, particularly during the evening hours between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

While firecracker emissions are believed to have contributed significantly to the increase, weather conditions and the accumulation of pollutants may also have influenced air quality, the report noted. The deterioration has triggered concern among residents, especially in densely populated localities where pollution levels were already relatively high.