Air pollution was higher on Thursday night than the Deepavali of 2019 or 2020, according to the data hosted on the Telangana State Pollution Control Board website. The ultrafine particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels averaged 85.72 on Thursday at Sanath Nagar while it averaged 72 in 2019 and 64 in 2020 on Deepavali nights.
A ban on regular crackers and limited availability of green crackers did not stop Hyderabad from celebrating Deepavali with gusto and leaving the air unbreathable. It began with an occasional boom that occurred at a distance. Then, the sounds increased as the time between one firecracker explosion and another decreased. By 9 p.m., the air in main thoroughfares and business areas like Panjagutta, Begum Bazaar, Gachibowli, Jubilee Hills, Chatta Bazaar, Ameerpet, and other areas, had a distinct sulphurous smell.
Pollution levels spiked in the two automatic monitoring centres among the four that were functioning on Thursday evening. At the US Consulate monitoring station in Begumpet area, the Air Quality Index hit a peak of 384.
The AQI is linked to ozone (smog) and ultrafine particulate matter pollution, as well as four other widespread air pollutants. AQI under 50 is considered good while 384 is rated as hazardous and individuals breathing such air are advised against physical activity. In the afternoon, the AQI in the same locality was 61, which is considered moderate. Incidentally, the air monitoring station at Bahadurpura showed AQI of 99 at 1 p.m.
The air quality started declining by 7 p.m. with the Patancheru air sampling station recording AQI of 156 considered unhealthy, and the Begumpet station logged 122 at the same time. By 8 p.m., the IDA Pashamylaram sampling station recorded an AQI of 165. The Begumpet station showed 183 at 8 p.m. and soared to 384 at 9 p.m. as crackers started going off through the city. The Bollarum monitoring station went off air and was not functioning during the key hours where the Pollution Control Board is mandated by CPCB to monitor air pollution due to Deepavali.
The air quality started improving by 10 p.m. with the Begumpet centre recording 359. By 2 a.m., the air quality returned to near normal with an AQI of 42.
