Rohtak: Air quality across Haryana collapsed to hazardous levels following Diwali celebrations, with 15 of 23 monitored cities hitting ‘severe’ air quality index (AQI) levels between 401 and 500 overnight, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Several NCR and non-NCR cities recorded peak AQI readings of 500 between midnight and 2am due to widespread firecracker violation.
Cities across central and northern Haryana—including Karnal, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Sirsa, and Panipat—reported steep spikes in pollutant concentrations. The post-Diwali surge extended well beyond Delhi border towns. Conditions failed to improve by Monday morning. Not a single monitored city in the state met ‘satisfactory’ standards. Pre-Diwali baseline data showed rapid degradation within hours. Districts, including Kurukshetra, Karnal, Ambala, Panipat, Rohtak, Gurugram, Sonepat, and Dharuhera, spiked from ‘poor’ directly into ‘severe’ territory overnight. Despite administration orders restricting firecrackers to an 8pm to 10pm window, violations continued past midnight. Environmental experts attributed the spike primarily to firecracker smoke, compounded by ongoing seasonal paddy stubble burning and stagnant atmospheric conditions that trapped pollutants near the surface. These fine particulates penetrate deep into lung tissue and the bloodstream, elevating immediate and long-term risks of respiratory distress, cardiovascular events, asthma exacerbations, and stroke. At severe levels, air pollution poses health risks to healthy individuals, while compounding dangers for those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.
Bahadurgarh recorded an AQI of 401, followed by Charkhi Dadri (388), Rohtak (385), Bhiwani (369), Kaithal (350), Faridabad (348), Sirsa (346), Manesar (339), Gurugram (332), Ambala (322), Ballabhgarh (319), and Sonepat (304)—all in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ brackets. Other locations recorded ‘poor’ air quality: Narnaul (298), Dharuhera (286), Jind (289), Panipat (276), Hisar (270), Kurukshetra (224), and Yamunanagar (202). Health experts highlighted PM2.5 concentrations as the critical risk factor. Under CPCB standards, an AQI of 0–50 is rated good, 51–100 satisfactory, 101–200 moderate, 201–300 poor, 301–400 very poor, and 401–500 severe.
