Pune: The city’s air quality deteriorated sharply on Diwali evening, as the average AQI entered the poor category by 9pm on Sunday though it was in the moderate category in Central Pollution Control Board’s 4pm bulletin.An official said the average air quality index (AQI) across Pune’s monitoring stations stood at 218 at 9pm on Sunday. The reading at Shivajinagar was higher at 256 around 10.10pm. Both readings were in the poor category. “In the early Monday morning, it will reach a maximum of around 389, as per the forecast,” the official said.Officials said with a drop in night temperature and firecrackers continuing to be burst across the city, the situation would worsen. According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)’s Air Quality Early Warning and Decision Support System, the AQI was forecast to touch around 389 (very poor category) in the early hours of Monday.The sharp evening deterioration was reflected in the contrast between the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s afternoon bulletin and IITM’s more recent readings. CPCB’s Sunday bulletin, based on average of the preceding 24 hours, had recorded Pune’s AQI at 163 (moderate) at 4pm. Pimpri Chinchwad was already in the poor category, with an AQI of 202. Seven of its eight monitoring stations had contributed to the reading.The latest readings indicated that pollution levels had increased considerably in Pune as the evening progressed. Firecracker emissions added to the existing pollution load. Meteorological conditions are expected to play a role in the further deterioration of AQI.Pune’s local weather forecast was for a maximum temperature of around 32°C and a minimum of 15°C on Monday. Night temperatures are expected to fall to around 14°C on Nov 11 and 12, while daytime maximums are likely to remain around 31-32°C.An official said weaker winds and cooler night-time conditions could restrict the dispersal of pollutants. “With the wind speed slowing down overnight, smoke and particulate matter released by firecrackers are likely to remain trapped closer to the ground for longer instead of dispersing. The relatively cooler night can further limit atmospheric mixing, contributing to the accumulation of pollutants near the surface,” the official said.Shraddha Gadekar, a resident who flagged the situation in Pimpri Chinchwad, said, “The air quality is at its worst today (Sunday). Cannot breathe as firecrackers are being burst continuously. So much smoke that you cannot see even a foot ahead.”IITM’s earlier forecast had indicated that hourly PM2.5 concentrations in Pune could reach around 250 micrograms per cubic metre on Sunday and cross 300 µg/m³ between 2am and 5am on Monday. The latest AQI forecast of around 389 indicated the possibility of very poor air quality during the early morning hours.Residents claimed that the ground situation had not improved despite claims of reducing the festive noise and the air pollution. Ravindra Sinha from Baner said, “This year also loud firecrackers have been used near silent zones as early as 4am and at night beyond 10pm in complete violation of the recent high court order and noise pollution rules.”Pushkar Kulkarni, a resident of Pashan, said, “The pollution levels were so high, I could barely see the building next to my house. It is very alarming.”Vikrant Latkar, a resident of peth areas, said commuting on the road was troublesome. “I could barely see up to 50 meters in areas like Gokhalenagar,” he said.Several citizens said they were not opposed to festivities, but steps were a must to bring down the pollution. “It poses serious health hazards,” one of them said.48 fire callsThe fire brigade received calls reporting 48 blazes across the city between 3pm and 10pm on Laxmi Pujan day. Officials confirmed that firecrackers caused all fires. No casualty or injury was reported in any of the incidents.The first major incident was reported at 3.14pm in Kondhwa’s Kadnagar Chowk. Abandoned material stored in a building’s basement caught fire. Later, response teams tackled fire involving dry grass, trees, residential property, trash heaps and commercial establishments throughout the city.According to the fire brigade’s preliminary log, residential premises in several areas, including Sadashiv Peth, Nana Peth, Shukrawar Peth, Ganj Peth, Kothrud, Kharadi, Warje, Vimannagar, Kondhwa, Undri and Rasta Peth, reported fire in flats, individual houses, balconies and rooftops.Commercial and industrial locations were also affected, including a shop fire near Dagdusheth temple’s Samadhan Chowk, a warehouse blaze in Fursungi and another shop fire at Sonawane Industries on Satara Road.
