Pune Air Quality Shows Improvement During Diwali 2025, AQI in Moderate Category

Pune, 22nd October 2025: The air quality in Pune remained in the moderate category during Diwali this year, offering relief to residents from the severe pollution levels often seen during the festival. According to official data from the Air Quality Early Warning and Decision Support System (AEQMS), a joint initiative of C-DAC and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 132 till 7:00 pm on October 21, the day of Laxmi Puja.

This is a significant improvement compared to last year, when the AQI on Diwali reached 201, placing it in the ‘bad’ category. Experts attributed the better air quality this year to controlled firecracker activity, favorable weather conditions, and calm winds.

Local Variations Observed
While the overall AQI showed improvement, some areas recorded higher pollution levels. Monitoring stations at Bhumkar Chowk in Pimpri-Chinchwad and MHADA Colony in Lohegaon reported AQI readings of 222 and 227, respectively, both in the ‘poor’ category. Meanwhile, areas such as Pashan (AQI 108) and Nigdi (AQI 110) remained in the ‘moderate’ category, highlighting local variations in air quality across the city.

AEQMS data shows a steady improvement in air quality in the days leading up to Diwali. Pune’s AQI was recorded at 151 on October 19, which improved to 135 on October 20, and further declined to 132 by October 21.

Experts’ Concerns
Environmentalists and health officials continue to stress caution, as Diwali air pollution is typically aggravated by low winter temperatures, calm winds, and the large-scale bursting of firecrackers. In previous years, these factors pushed AQI levels into the ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ categories on the main festival day.

Despite these concerns, this year’s data indicates a positive trend, suggesting that air pollution during Diwali in Pune has been better managed, offering some respite to residents and festival-goers.