What the study found
The study found that AQI in selected parts of Delhi worsened during the pre-Diwali, Diwali, and post-Diwali periods of 2024-2025, with very poor to severe air quality recorded at several sites. The highest values reported were 433 at Anand Vihar in October 2024, 485 at Nehru Nagar in December 2024, and 472 at Vivek Bihar in January 2025.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say the study provides a unique assessment of AQI dynamics during short, high-intensity festive pollution events. They conclude that the findings may support event-based air quality management and policy interventions in urban areas.
What the researchers tested
The researchers carried out a comparative case study of AQI trends at selected sampling sites in Delhi. They used data from the Central Pollution Control Board website under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, and analyzed changes in average AQI values across pre-Diwali, Diwali, and post-Diwali periods for pollutants including CO, SO2, NO2, NH3, O3, PM10, and PM2.5.
What worked and what didn't
The study reported that October 2024 had a peak AQI of 433 at Anand Vihar on 16/10/2024, dominated by PM10, while Rohini and Vivek Bihar reached 392 and 388, respectively, both governed by PM2.5. In December 2024, AQI intensified, peaking at 485 at Nehru Nagar on 19/12/2024, with PM2.5 dominance at major stations such as Wazipur and Anand Vihar; by January 2025, the peak AQI declined slightly to 472 at Vivek Bihar on 10/01/2025, though PM2.5-driven pollution remained in the very poor category. The authors state that AQI increases were probably due to increased emissions from firecrackers and more automobiles.
What to keep in mind
This summary is limited to the abstract and title, so the available information does not include detailed statistical methods, uncertainty measures, or site-by-site full results. The abstract also does not describe limitations beyond noting that research in this area is limited.
Key points
- AQI worsened across selected Delhi sites during the pre-Diwali, Diwali, and post-Diwali periods.
- The highest reported AQI values were 433 in October 2024, 485 in December 2024, and 472 in January 2025.
- PM10 dominated the October 2024 peak at Anand Vihar, while PM2.5 dominated several other high-AQI readings.
- The authors attribute the AQI rise probably to firecracker emissions and increased automobile use.
- The study used CPCB data and examined CO, SO2, NO2, NH3, O3, PM10, and PM2.5.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Delhi AQI peaked during festive periods in 2024-2025
- Authors:
- Dhrubajit Brahma, Rwirup Narzary, Sharmistha Chakraborty, Mehdi Al Kausor
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-22
- OpenAlex record:
- View
- Image credit:
- Photo by Ion Ceban @ionelceban on Pexels · Pexels License
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