Post-Diwali smog chokes NCR: Jind, Dharuhera, Bahadurgarh among India's most polluted cities; Delhi in 'very poor' category

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) A day after Diwali celebrations filled the skies with firecrackers and festive smoke, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Tuesday reported an alarming deterioration in air quality across northern India.

According to the latest Air Quality Index (AQI) bulletin, several cities in Haryana and the National Capital Region (NCR) have recorded “severe” and “very poor” air quality levels.

Jind topped the national chart with an AQI of 421, followed by Dharuhera (412), Narnaul (390), and Rohtak (376) — all falling in the severe category, which severely impacts even healthy individuals. Other highly polluted cities include Bahadurgarh (368), Sirsa (353), Charkhi Dadri (353), Gurugram (370), and the national capital Delhi (351), all in the very poor range.

Data shows that particulate matter PM2.5 remains the dominant pollutant in all these regions, pushing air quality to hazardous levels.

Neighbouring cities like Ghaziabad (324), Noida (320), Manesar (320), and Hapur (314) also reported “very poor” air quality, signalling a blanket of toxic haze enveloping the NCR.

Health experts warn that exposure to such conditions can lead to respiratory illness, particularly among children, the elderly, and those with asthma or heart disease.

In contrast, southern cities such as Bengaluru (97), Chennai (142), and Hyderabad (116) recorded “satisfactory” to “moderate” air quality, while coastal and northeastern cities like Mysuru (41), Gangtok (34), and Shillong (17) enjoyed “good” conditions.

Earlier in the morning, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR remained in the 'very poor' category, reaching 400, a day after Diwali festivities.

While the overall AQI stood at 347, several areas recorded levels in the 'severe' category.

As per CPCB classifications, AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 falls under the 'severe' category.

Several Delhi localities reported alarming AQI levels: Narela (354), Najafgarh (334), Mundka (357), Mandir Marg (325), Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (358), Lodhi Road (334), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (317), Jahangirpuri (404), ITO (345), Dilshad Garden (346), Dwarka Sector 8 (333), Mathura Road (341), Bawana (418), and Anand Vihar (352), according to data from the SAMEER app developed by the CPCB.

--IANS

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