Bengaluru’s air quality deteriorated sharply during the first night of Deepavali celebrations, with the Air Quality Index rising from 74 at 8 pm to 102 after midnight as fireworks and road dust combined to worsen pollution across the city, according to monitoring data cited by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
The state government had permitted only green fireworks and restricted their use to a two-hour window between 8 pm and 10 pm. However, officials said the city’s air quality began worsening during and after that period, with the AQI increasing by three to four points every hour. The Central Pollution Control Board’s real-time monitoring data showed the index at 85 by 10 pm and above 93 by 11 pm before reaching 102 after midnight.
The deterioration was more pronounced than during Deepavali in 2025, when Bengaluru’s AQI was reported to be 82 at midnight and remained in the satisfactory category. Officials attributed the difference partly to the absence of rain this year and what they described as heavier fireworks use.
By the morning of November 10, Bengaluru’s AQI had climbed further to 186, a level described in the report as unhealthy. Authorities said the increase was linked not only to fireworks smoke but also to fine particulate matter, chemical emissions and dust from roads and ongoing infrastructure works.
“Fireworks and their chemical smoke are the immediate causes, but ground dust is also a major contributor to pollution. It has not rained in the city for the last two days. Several parts of the city are covered in dust because of infrastructure works and road digging. Road dust and fireworks smoke together have worsened Bengaluru’s air,” officials said, according to the report.
The episode has also been accompanied by a significant number of firework-related injuries. Mint Hospital recorded 20 cases by late Sunday night, including a five-year-old boy who suffered serious injuries from a firecracker. The patients included two five-year-olds, one nine-year-old, five people aged between 10 and 20, 11 people aged between 20 and 40, and one person above 40.
The injuries were linked to different types of fireworks, including six cases involving bijili crackers, one involving a flower pot, three involving atom bombs, two involving Lakshmi crackers and one involving a rocket. Shankar Eye Hospital recorded 26 cases involving patients ranging from a three-month-old infant to a 46-year-old adult. Reported injuries included burns, chemical injuries, severe impact to the eye, corneal abrasions, damage to the eye lens and eyelid injuries.
In one serious case, a firecracker caused the eyeball to rupture, requiring removal of the eye and surgery to fit an artificial eye. Another case involved burns to a five-month-old infant. Narayana Nethralaya treated 31 people for firework-related injuries between November 7 and 9, including 15 people below the age of 18. Eight patients were injured while walking or standing near locations where fireworks were being used.
Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the administration did not have enough staff to monitor compliance and lacked the authority to enforce the restrictions directly. He said the police department should act against people who used fireworks beyond the permitted hours. The authorities’ next stated focus is enforcement of the two-hour limit and continued monitoring of Bengaluru’s air quality as pollution levels remain elevated.
