PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry recorded a marginal improvement in air quality this Deepavali compared to the previous year. According to data from the Puducherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC), the city registered an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 300 on Monday, falling under the 'poor' category. However this marks an improvement from last year's AQI of 367, which was categorised as 'very poor'.
At the same time, pollution levels rose sharply when compared to pre-Deepavali readings. AQI climbed from 50 before Deepavali to 300 on the festival day. During the permitted one-hour window for bursting crackers between 7 pm and 8 pm, PM10 levels spiked to 1032 µg/m³ and PM2.5 to 1026 µg/m³. Officials noted that particulate matter (PM) levels were three times higher than normal.
Thereafter, PM10 registered 133 µg/m³ from a pre-Deepavali level of 44, while PM2.5 increased to 120 µg/m³ from 30 µg/m³ on normal days. Further, ozone levels depleted significantly from 44.8 µg/m³ to 7.6 µg/m³. Noise pollution levels also went up to a maximum of 118 decibels on Monday, as against an average of 85 decibels. Meanwhile, intermittent rainfall lashing the union territory has been helping in neutralising the pollutants.