On Deepavali night on Sunday at Beach Road in Visakhapatnam, heavy smog enveloped the city, making it the sole city in Andhra Pradesh to be added to the list of polluted cities in the country on Monday (November 13). The deterioration in air quality was attributed to the extensive use of fireworks during the Deepavali celebrations on November 12.
According to real-time data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city reached 322 at 7 p.m. on Monday, with the Particulate Matter 2.5 being recorded at 344 between midnight and 1 a.m., marking the second-highest risk level denoted as Red (very poor - between 300 and 400). The first highest risk level is Maroon Red (severe - above 400).
Officials from the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) attributed this 'Red' category AQI level to the combination of Deepavali celebrations and prevailing weather conditions. An APPCB scientist noted that such high AQI levels, particularly in the Red category, were rare in Visakhapatnam. Data analysis on air pollution levels collected manually at nine locations would be revealed by Tuesday.
The scientist suggested that factors such as the extensive use of firecrackers, high humidity levels, and inversion conditions in the atmosphere could contribute to the Red category AQI. Inversion conditions involve the blocking of cold winds in the air due to the obstruction of cold air filled with smoke and micro-particles from crackers and chemicals.
Notably, Visakhapatnam has only one CPCB Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) located in dense traffic at Dwarakanagar. This singular station may not adequately represent the entire city, unlike cities like Delhi, which has 40 such stations.
Firecracker traders mentioned that the favorable weather this year contributed to good business, allowing them to earn profits during this Deepavali season. Unlike previous years, the absence of adverse weather conditions was a positive sign for both merchants and customers. Firecracker traders typically sell around 100-150 kg of firecrackers, amounting to approximately ₹1 lakh per day, when the weather is favorable. Traders were believed to have procured 1.5 to 2 lakh kg of firecrackers from manufacturing units in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) director, S. Stella, confirmed that there were no adverse weather conditions leading up to Deepavali this time. While November usually sees favorable conditions for the formation of low pressures and cyclones due to the Northeast monsoon, this year did not exhibit such weather patterns before Deepavali. However, a low-pressure system was expected to form in the Bay of Bengal by Tuesday.
