Post Diwali, Jind, Dharuhera most polluted in country

As many as 22 cities and towns in Haryana reported Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in the ‘poor’, ‘very poor’, and ‘severe’ categories after Diwali night. The air quality also worsened compared to last year. Jind, with an AQI of 421, and Dharuhera (Rewari), with an AQI of 412, were the most polluted in the country, of 271 cities/towns where air quality was measured. These were the only two cities in the ‘severe’ category in the country.

A day before Diwali, Jind and Dharuhera’s air quality was better. The data of 271 cities/towns was based on a 24-hour average from 4 pm on October 20 to 4 pm on October 21. It covered pollution caused by crackers. Of 14 cities in the country with ‘very poor’ AQI, eight were from Haryana.

According to the bulletin from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 12 cities/towns in Haryana recorded 'poor' AQI, eight locations reported ‘very poor’ AQI, and two were in the ‘severe’ category. Only Mandikhera (Nuh) in the state recorded ‘satisfactory’ AQI (87).

State Environment Minister Rao Narbir Singh could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. According to a senior official of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, crackers were responsible for a spike in air pollution levels. “The situation could have been worse had the wind speed and temperatures been lower. Right now, the wind speed is 6-8 km/hr. If it reaches 12 km/hour, pollutants get dispersed and diluted. Open burning of waste contributes to the pollution visible after Diwali, as most people burn garbage. Sometimes, higher pollution in Delhi also impacts nearby Haryana cities,” said Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, Professor of Environment Health, Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh.

“At present, anti-cyclonic conditions have developed over north-western India, which doesn’t allow pollutants to rise and dissipate. Had the monsoon withdrawn earlier and temperatures were lower, the situation could have been worse,” said Director, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Chandigarh, Surender Paul.

Diwali last year

In 2024, 19 cities/towns in the state had recorded ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ AQI. Ambala had recorded the worst AQI in the country — 367 on the 24-hour average parameter. However, no city across the country was in the ‘severe’ category.

Lowest stubble burning cases

The number of stubble burning cases in the state jumped to 13 on Diwali, the highest number in the season so far. There were three cases each from Fatehabad, Hisar, and Jind; two from Bhiwani; and one each from Karnal and Palwal. On October 19, there were seven cases.

Since September 15, there had been 51 cases across the season in Haryana. In 2024, there were 653 incidents until October 20, compared to 621 incidents in 2023.

Haryana has the fewest cases this season compared to Punjab (353), UP (557), Rajasthan (212), and Madhya Pradesh (285).

‘Very poor’ air

Place                  AQI

Narnaul             390

Rohtak               376

Gurugram          370

Bahadurgarh     368

Charkhi Dadri   353

Sirsa                     353

Bhiwani               327

Manesar              320