Gurgaon experienced a decline in air quality after Dussehra, with the air quality index reaching 190, categorized as ‘moderate’. This is worse than last year but better than 2021. Experts attribute the increased pollution to the timing of Dussehra in the last week of October, allowing pollutants from effigy burning and stubble burning to accumulate closer to the lower atmosphere. Slow dispersion of pollutants due to meteorological conditions is also a contributing factor. In Delhi, the air quality index was 243, not reaching the ‘very poor’ category despite some instances of firecracker burning.
