Chandigarh (Naval Kishore) — Strict adherence to regulated bursting hours and favorable meteorological conditions helped Chandigarh record notably cleaner air this Diwali compared to previous festive seasons, according to official data released by the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC).
Supported by widespread public cooperation, the Union Territory avoided the “Severe” pollution bracket across all monitoring stations on Diwali night (November 8, 2026), with air quality recovering to the “Satisfactory” band by early the following morning.
Rapid Air Quality Recovery Across the City
The Chandigarh Administration had restricted celebrations strictly to eco-friendly “green” crackers within a designated two-hour window between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM. While pollutant concentrations surged temporarily during peak festivities, the absence of prolonged, late-night bursting enabled a swift atmospheric turnaround.
By 3:00 AM on November 9, the citywide Air Quality Index (AQI) dropped back into the “Satisfactory” range (51–100), aided by stable local weather patterns. Prior to the 8:00 PM cutoff on Diwali evening, air readings across sectors had similarly remained in the “Satisfactory” category.
Monitoring Station Breakdown: No Stations Hit ‘Severe’
The CPCC tracked ambient air quality across six key urban sectors, evaluating baseline levels on November 1 against peak festival readings on November 8:
- Commercial & Residential Zones: Both Sector 22 (AQI 158) and Sector 17 (AQI 170) stayed within the “Moderate” category throughout the night, marking substantial improvements over their 2025 figures of 234 and 183, respectively.
- Institutional & Peripheral Belts: Sector 53 (AQI 304), IMTECH Sector 39 (AQI 310), PEC Sector 12 (AQI 312), and Sector 25 (AQI 326) briefly crossed into “Very Poor” territory during the festive surge. However, unlike 2023—when Sector 53 breached the hazardous “Severe” threshold at 453—no location reached the red zone this year.
CPCC officials commended the public’s restrained response, attributing the multi-year air improvement to greater ecological mindfulness among younger residents and sustained campus outreach drives such as the administration’s “Green Diwali” campaign.
Decibel Levels Spike During Festivities Before Tapering Off
Acoustic monitoring across the identical six stations reflected a parallel trajectory. Decibel readings escalated sharply during the permitted two-hour burst window before tapering after 10:00 PM:
- Highest Peak: IMTECH Sector 39 logged the city’s loudest window between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM, touching 83.9 dB(A).
- Lowest Peak: Sector 53 registered the quietest peak levels among monitored zones, topping out at 61.2 dB(A) between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
- Post-Window Trend: The majority of monitoring nodes observed a prompt drop in sound levels past 10:00 PM, mirroring the drop in fireworks activity.
