The air pollution level recorded a rise as the Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 200 on the Diwali night in Jammu.
Jammu city on Tuesday night recorded 198 AQI.
“The Air Quality Index in Jammu normally hovers around 100 but on the Diwali festival night, it touched 200,” official sources said.
They said that due to the ongoing construction works in Jammu city and its peripheries, the AQI in routine is recorded 120 to 130 but on Tuesday night, it touched 200.
Manual readings were taken at main locations, including Maulana Azad Stadium, Narwal and Bari Brahmana, they said, and added that Jammu has already been ranked 22nd and Srinagar 21st in the Clean Air Survey 2025.
According to the Clean Air Survey 2025 report released last month by the union Environment Ministry, the situation in Srinagar and Jammu is also poor.
Srinagar ranked 21st and Jammu ranked 22nd as per report. The survey categorised cities based on the 2011 census.
Construction work and waste management became the main reasons.
According to experts, various ongoing developmental projects in the Jammu city are also the major cause of the increase in dust particles in the air, adding, “Once these construction projects are completed, the city’s ranking will definitely improve.”
The impact of Diwali fireworks will settle down within a few days, they said, and added, “Air pollution levels also rise significantly during winter due to smog and fog that increases the PM 10 levels.”
