People bursting firecrackers during the Deepavali celebrations in Bengaluru on October 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
During the three days of Deepavali festivities between October 20 and 22, the air quality in Bengaluru, compared to the previous year, was better by 44%.
According to Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s (KSPCB) Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) data, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) during the three days was 83 compared to 120 in 2024 with a 44% drop in air pollution.
Of the 11 monitoring stations in the city, only the one in Saneguruvanahalli saw an increase in AQI compared to the previous year. The Saneguruvanahalli station this year recorded an AQI of 84 compared to 82 last year, an increase of 2%. The Hebbal station recorded an AQI of 66 this year, compared to 185 last year seeing a 179% decrease, similarly NIMHANS, Jigani and Peenya stations also saw a drop of 62%, 60% and 59% respectively.
Post and pre Deepavali
The AQI data of pre-Deepavali versus Deepavali days also showed an interesting trend. While the AQI on pre-Deepavali day (October 13) was 93, the three-day average AQI for October 20 to 22 was 88 with an improvement of 5%.
bengaluruOn the first day of the festivities on October 20, the average AQI was 77 and on the second day, it went up to 94 — an 18% increase. The third day (October 22) saw a drop of 31%, with the AQI being 72.
In the remaining 28 monitoring stations across Karnataka, the average AQI this year was 56 compared to 73 last year with an improvement of 29%.
In Bidar, the AQI increased by 38%, Belagavi by 11%, Bagalkot by 9% and Kodagu by 4%. Davanagere and Mysuru saw an improvement of 123% and 122%, respectively, compared to last year.
High noise levels
Though the air quality in Bengaluru saw an improvement during the festivities, the noise level was quite high due to bursting of crackers.
According to the ambient noise monitoring data from the manual ambient noise monitoring stations at Sarjapur in Bengaluru, the average noise level was 90.4 decibel (dB) during the three days, with an increase of 11% compared to pre-Deepavali figures. In Peenya and Yelahanka, the noise level was 72.88 dB and 79.72 dB with an increase of 42% and 24% respectively.
Published – October 24, 2025 03:53 pm IST
