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Journalism of Courage
Despite a significant reduction in stubble burning incidents, the air quality in most cities and towns in Haryana post-Diwali deteriorated sharply, largely due to widespread use of firecrackers, plunging several regions to the “poor” and “very poor” categories on the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
At 4 pm on Tuesday, Jind and Dharuhera recorded alarmingly high AQI levels at 421 and 412, respectively, surpassing Delhi’s AQI of 351.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, 401 and 450 “severe” and above 450 “severe plus”.
Gurgaon recorded an AQI of 370, placing it firmly under the “very poor” category. A day before Diwali, on October 19, the city had an AQI of 275 under the “poor” bracket.
Cities reporting “very poor” AQI on Tuesday are Bhiwani (327), Charkhi Dadri (357), Manesar (320), Rohtak (376), and Sirsa (353).
However, Ambala with an AQI of 234, Faridabad (268), Fatehabad (266), Hisar (204), Kaithal (273), Karnal (266), Kurukshetra (230), Palwal (209), Panipat (216), Sonipat (287) and Yamunanagar (224) were categorised as the “poor”.
Notably, despite widespread use of crackers, Chandigarh maintained a “moderate” AQI of 147.
On Sunday, Ballabgarh was the only city in Haryana to record an AQI of 305 under the “very poor” category. Bahadurgarh (294), Rohtak (290) and Narnaul (289) were classified as “poor”.
Bhiwani, however, recorded an AQI of just 33, earning a “good” rating.
Several other cities, including Ambala (147), Yamunanagar (102), Sonipat (182), Panchkula (126), Karnal (125), Kaithal (161), and Jind (122), reported “moderate” air quality.
On Sunday, Sirsa and Palwal showed relatively better conditions, with AQI levels of 54 and 84, respectively, falling under the “satisfactory” category.
Traditionally, stubble burning following the paddy harvest has been a major contributor to the region’s declining air quality. However, this year marks a notable shift. Between September 15 and October 16, Haryana recorded only 28 incidents of stubble burning — a significant drop from 573 incidents in the corresponding period in 2024.
Daily figures further highlight this decline: three stubble burning incidents were reported on October 16, two on October 17, one on October 18, and seven on October 19.
On Diwali day, October 20, the number rose slightly to 13, followed by four incidents on Tuesday. Despite this minimal activity, the air quality worsened significantly, underscoring the impact of firecracker pollution across the state.
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