VISAKHAPATNAM: Air quality deteriorated in several parts of Andhra Pradesh after Diwali, with Vizag and Rajamahendravaram recording poor air quality on November 9. Vizag recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 264, while Rajahmundry registered 220, indicating a rise in pollution levels over the three days.
Before Diwali, on November 7, most cities in the State had satisfactory air quality. Visakhapatnam and Ongole were the exceptions, with AQI readings of 122 and 118 respectively, placing them in moderate category. On November 8, Vizag’s AQI rose to 229, moving into the poor category. Srikakulam and Rajahmundry recorded moderate air quality.
The situation worsened on November 9, when Rajahmundry also entered the poor category. Several cities, including Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor, Kadapa and Srikakulam, recorded moderate air quality. In the north coastal districts, Vizag continued to record poor air quality, while Srikakulam remained in the moderate category.
Kakinada and Eluru recorded moderate air quality on November 9. In the Godavari region, Rajahmundry saw its air quality move from satisfactory before Diwali to poor on November 9. In the southern parts of the State, Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur, Kurnool and Tirumala recorded moderate air quality. Among them, Nellore and Tirupati recorded some of higher readings in this category, at 175 and 191 respectively.
In the central coastal districts, Amaravati, Guntur, Machilipatnam, Vijayawada and Ongole also recorded moderate air quality on November 9. Ongole, which was in the moderate category even before Diwali, had recorded a temporary improvement on November 8 before its AQI increased again the following day.
PM2.5 was the prominent pollutant in Vizag, Rajahmundry, Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur, Kurnool, Guntur and Srikakulam on November 9. PM10 was the prominent pollutant in Amaravati, Eluru, Kakinada and Machilipatnam.