As of November 6, 2025, much of northern and eastern India continues to remain in the grip of poor air quality, with major cities consistently showing an "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy" air quality index level and dangerously high PM2.5 concentrations, thus posing a serious health risk to the residents, particularly among children and the elderly.
AQI in most cities was above 200 this morning, which also called for corresponding health alerts. Residents are being advised to limit outdoor activities, shut their windows, put on masks if they must go outside, and use air purifiers indoors.
Keeping in view an AQI ranging up to 138, a PM2.5 concentration of 50.6 µg/m3 was 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' in 2024 and thus ranked India as poor for such AQI. On the contrary, being ranked the 5th most polluted country in 2024, it is approximately 11 times higher than the annual WHO guideline of 5 µg/m3 and remains unchallenged.
On 5th Nov 2025, night time fireworks during Gurpurab celebrations mainly in the Punjab region lead to sharp increase in fireworks pollution. Southern Punjabi towns are seeing extreme fireworks pollutant shifts in AQI severe to hazardous across the state.
Severe AQI readings climbed over the mark 200 on 6th November 2025 and dispersed across big cities. There was a notable drop by midday though over the range 153 to 106 with bigger cities showing an overall upper skew of 203, 158, 170, 194.
The high levels arise from the increased concentration of particulate matter, in particular PM2.5 and PM10, that can reach deep inside the lungs and pose serious health risks, emitted from firecrackers.
The AQI had touched alarming levels between 180 to 200 even ahead of the fireworks associated with Gurpurab, especially in major areas. Usage of crackers sent AQI over 200 in many cities overnight, indicating a rapid rise in air pollution to dangerous levels.
The air quality in Amritsar suffered a severe blow on Gurpurab night as the AQI shot to 286 around 7 PM per IQAir readings, which came shortly after fireworks lit up the sky across the city to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. However, notwithstanding rejoicing over the festival, the air turned visibly hazy and the pollution levels continued to remain in the "poor to very poor" category with AQI readings staying above 200 till midnight. Experts attributed this to a combination of firecrackers, low wind speed, and dipping temperatures which kept pollutants close to the ground, aggravating the city's air quality.
To make matters worse, continuous burning of crop residue in rural Punjab adds to smoke pollution. Besides, the winds, which usually are quite low during this period, do not allow dispersion of pollutants properly, trapping dangerous air close to the ground.
This problem is almost naturally tackled by the rain recorded, along with recorded rain, when rain has a positive impact. In this case, rain is a great aid as it decreases suspended pollutants, thus improving the AQI from severe and hazardous AQI to moderate range in some areas, along with less pollution in Amritsar and Ludhiana.
Especially because the rain is falling, it cleans up the air; however, being outside today is still not safe. Health professionals suggest that not only should children, the elderly, and people with chronic respiratory diseases stay pleasant, but one should also use air purifiers if possible and keep the windows closed.
Before the Gurpurab celebrations, the Air Quality Index had already started touching critical levels, fluctuating between the thresholds of poor and very poor between 180 and 240. Thus, higher quantities of suspended particulate matter and other pollutants were there in the air. Firecrackers that went off during the peak of Gurpurab festivities, however, increased the already rising levels of pollution manifold. The AQI rose during the celebrations, with a pivot for the worst.
