Agartala’s air quality deteriorated sharply after Laxmi Puja celebrations, with firecracker smoke becoming trapped in fog and pushing the city’s Air Quality Index to 264 on Monday, according to the Tripura State Pollution Control Board.
The reading placed Agartala in the “poor” AQI category under Central Pollution Control Board standards. The city recorded the highest AQI among the 13 Indian cities monitored in the CPCB’s daily air-quality bulletin that day.
A senior TSPCB official attributed the spike to firecrackers burst during Laxmi Puja celebrations on the previous night. The official said the celebrations continued until dawn, allowing smoke to accumulate in the lower atmosphere during foggy conditions.
“Smoke from firecrackers burst on the night of Oct 25 became trapped in the lower atmosphere because of fog, causing air quality to deteriorate. As daylight increased and sunshine improved, conditions improved,” the official said.
The TSPCB’s explanation came after the CPCB data triggered concern across Tripura and raised questions about Agartala’s reputation as one of India’s cleanest cities. The deterioration also led to criticism from some quarters over uncontrolled development and environmental degradation in the city, although the pollution board attributed the specific AQI spike to the combination of firecracker smoke and atmospheric conditions.
Data cited by the TSPCB showed that Agartala’s AQI was 152 on Oct 25, before the Monday reading of 264. The AQI subsequently improved to 114 on the following morning, the official said, as sunlight increased and foggy conditions eased.
Under CPCB classifications, an AQI between 201 and 300 is considered poor. Prolonged exposure to air in this range can cause respiratory discomfort. Children, older people and residents with asthma, heart disease or other health conditions face greater risks from polluted air, according to the health implications associated with the classification.
The episode shows how short-duration emissions from festive activities can combine with local weather conditions to produce a rapid deterioration in urban air quality. In Agartala, the pollution board linked the change to emissions released overnight and their subsequent entrapment near the ground by fog.
Tripura’s Sharad festival began on Oct 17 and concluded with Laxmi Puja on Oct 26, according to the TSPCB official. The latest readings indicate that air quality improved as daylight and sunshine increased, with the AQI falling to 114 after the spike. The pollution board’s explanation and the CPCB monitoring data remain the key official information available on the episode.
