Hyderabad: Particulate Matter 2.5 (pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns) was measured at 720 at Sanatnagar on Diwali evening, more than twice the upper limit of 300.
According to data collated by the World Air Quality Index, the PM 2.5 level stood at 472 at Begumpet, near the US Consulate.
Multiple requests for information on pollution levels from the Telangana State Pollution Control Board went unanswered.
Ambee, a startup that monitors air quality at 500 locations across the country, also indicated a spike in pollution levels.
Ambee CEO Akshay Joshi and CTO Madhusudhan Anand told Deccan Chronicle that the air quality index (AQI) — an aggregate of pollutants with different weightages — in Hyderabad was quite alarming.
“One Saturday, the AQI hovered between 65 and 80. On Sunday evening, it was 240 in some places,” said Mr Anand. Ambee has about 30 sensors in the city.
Mr Joshi said the rise in pollution levels could largely be attributed to the use of firecrackers. “On normal days, one could factor in industrial emissions, but most factories were most likely non-operational on Diwali.”
