Ahmedabad rang in the New Year with hazardous air quality, leaving residents gasping for breath as pollution levels spiked sharply in the early hours of New Year’s Eve. By 8.04 am, the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) had reached 425, placing it firmly in the hazardous category. At some locations, AQI levels crossed 490 during the morning.
The southwest zone was the worst affected. Vikram Nagar recorded the highest AQI at 493, followed by Jai Ambe Nagar (473), Narolgam (463) and Aehsan Park (429).
Several other areas also reported severe pollution levels, including Vishram Nagar (402), Chandra Nagar (406), CP Nagar-1 (372), South Bopal (364), Thaltej (358) and Usmanpura (336). Some locations remained in the severe category, such as SVPI Airport Hansol (292), SAC ISRO Satellite (297), Shantigram (293) and Phase-4 GIDC (295).
100-point jump in three hours
Air quality monitoring data showed a sudden and alarming rise. Around 5 am, Ahmedabad’s AQI stood at 299, already in the severe category. Within three hours, by 8 am, it jumped by more than 100 points, pushing the city into the hazardous zone. Experts warned that even brief exposure to such high pollution levels could lead to serious health issues.
December pollution trend
Pollution levels in Ahmedabad have been rising steadily in December over the past few years. The city’s average AQI in December was 117 in 2021, 137 in 2022 and 157 in 2023. Although December 2024 saw a slight improvement with an average AQI of 134, sudden spikes like the one seen on New Year’s Eve remain a major public health concern.
Fog worsens air quality
Scientist Mahaveer Golecha from the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG) explained that fog itself does not cause pollution but worsens air quality during winter.
“Low temperatures, high humidity and calm winds trap pollutants close to the ground. Early morning temperature inversion prevents polluted air from dispersing. When fog mixes with these trapped pollutants, it forms smog, causing a sharp rise in AQI and reduced visibility, as witnessed in Ahmedabad on New Year’s Eve,” he said.
Experts attributed the sharp rise in pollution to winter weather conditions, low wind speeds, vehicular emissions, construction dust and increased human activity ahead of New Year celebrations.