📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Satdeep Gill
Weather
Ludhiana's Diwali Air Quality Hits Hazardous 500 AQI Amid Fireworks and Stubble Burning
✍️ Amar Ujala · Punjab
🗓 09 Nov 2026, 09:16 AM
👁 15
On Diwali, Ludhiana recorded an AQI of 500 as fireworks combined with stubble burning created hazardous air.
Ludhiana, Punjab, saw its air quality plunge to an AQI of 500 on the occasion of Diwali, a level classified as hazardous by the National Air Quality Index. The spike was recorded as residents lit fireworks across the city, a traditional celebration that coincided with widespread stubble burning in surrounding agricultural fields.
Health officials issued an immediate advisory warning citizens of potential respiratory distress, especially for children, the elderly and those with pre‑existing conditions.
The combination of dense smoke from the burning crop residue and particulate matter released by fireworks created a thick smog that lingered over the city for several hours, reducing visibility and prompting schools to keep windows shut.
Local authorities deployed additional monitoring stations and urged people to limit outdoor activities until the air quality improved. The episode underscores the recurring challenge Punjab faces each winter when festive fireworks intersect with post‑harvest burning practices.
Health officials issued an immediate advisory warning citizens of potential respiratory distress, especially for children, the elderly and those with pre‑existing conditions.
The combination of dense smoke from the burning crop residue and particulate matter released by fireworks created a thick smog that lingered over the city for several hours, reducing visibility and prompting schools to keep windows shut.
Local authorities deployed additional monitoring stations and urged people to limit outdoor activities until the air quality improved. The episode underscores the recurring challenge Punjab faces each winter when festive fireworks intersect with post‑harvest burning practices.