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Diwali Smog in Vizag: AQI Hits Three-Year High

Diwali Smog in Vizag: AQI Hits Three-Year High

Team Yo! VizagVisakhapatnam, News/City Updates2 hours ago

Vizag faced the highest level of AQI (Air Quality Index) during its grand Diwali celebrations compared to the past three years. The coastal city also woke up with smog, along with elevated AQI levels indicating unhealthy air pollution. In some areas of Vizag, the AQI crossed 500 during its peak hours of celebrations. Central Areas like Pandurangapuram and Siripuram observed AQI levels between 540-550 around 9-10 pm, Whereas, Ram Nagar, Old Port Area, Madhurawada and Chinnawaltair observed AQI levels in the range of 519-530 at around 9- 10 pm.

Law enforcement gave instructions to Vizag dwellers to burst crackers between 8- 10 pm, so it is observed that the AQI peaked around this period of the night and dropped significantly thereafter. The AQI of Vizag in 2026 has been around 70-170 throughout the year.

Meanwhile, in some areas of India, higher AQIs were observed. Vijayawada recorded a level of 758 at the peak Diwali celebration period. The capital of our country, Delhi, had the highest AQI levels compared to the rest of India, which was around 1750+ at midnight. To put this into perspective, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) prescribed that an AQI of 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe.

Action against Air Pollution

The people of Visakhapatnam are driving Environmental awareness at an all-time high compared to the past two decades. Whereas, the government began several initiatives such as the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which aims to tackle air pollution in a time-bound yet comprehensive way. Their core preventive measures include: Emission control through transitioning to cleaner fuel & BS-VI vehicles, and installing a massive number of monitoring stations across India to record live air pollution, which includes Visakhapatnam in its plan too.

Additionally, GVMC has the Eco Vizag campaign, which aims to reduce greenhouse emissions by 30% (annual emissions are in the ballpark of 6-7 million metric tonnes) while implementing plans across transportation, renewable energy, infrastructure, and green belts. Their goal is to focus on holistic action plans aimed at healing and minimising pollution driven by various sectors.

Having said all that, this calls for safer and more responsible Diwali celebrations from everyone. With a few changes paired with some greener practices such as low emission crackers, Diwali can be celebrated in a safer way – a necessary norm, as it is our health and future which are ultimately at stake.

Also read: Sparkling Diwali crackers light up city

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