Air pollution off the charts in Hyderabad on first day of 2026; average AQI of 339

Residents of Hyderabad rang in the New Year to a day of worsening air pollution in the city on Thursday (January 1, 2026). After a resounding night with high decibel revelry and cracker bursting, they woke up to a day with thick smog that refused to clear even by noon.

At 12 a.m. on the first day and first hour of 2026, the city experienced a spike in pollution levels evidenced through an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 339. As the day progressed and traffic added to the existing pollutants, the AQI peaked to 353 at 6 a.m., the highest recorded in the day, categorised as ‘severe’.

“I usually start my day at 5 a.m., and leave for work by 6 a.m., but after seeing the haze outside, I shut my door and stayed home till 7.30 a.m. The air was so thick that I could not see what was 10 yards ahead of me,” shared P.Satyavathi who works as domestic help in LB Nagar.

Lowest AQI on January 1 was 230

The lowest AQI recorded on January 1, at 3.04 p.m., was still very high, at 230, categorised as ‘poor’ and equivalent of smoking 20-30 cigarettes per day. The particulate matter which infused the fog with smoke, hovered around an average of 145 µg/m³ (micrograms per cubic metre) for PM 2.5, and 189 µg/m³ for PM 10. The World Health Organisation’s limits for these pollutants are 15 µg/m³ and 45µg/m³ as a 24 hour average.

AQI over 300 in majority of locations

Majority of the locations recorded an AQI of more than 300 for most part of the day, with a location at Badangpet smashing all the records with 432 recorded at 1 a.m., which is categorised as ‘Hazardous’. Ameenpur reached 396 at 8 a.m., and Upparpally was close behind at 383. Heavy firecracker bursting across all the city at the ring of 12 a.m. is probably one more reason for the spiked pollution levels.

PM2.5 concentration is usually the outcome of burning of fossil fuels, and points to the vehicular and industrial pollutants, apart from occasional firecrackers. PM10, on the other hand is the result of dust pollution, and indicates hectic construction activity.

“Hyderabad is an arid region, and hence dusty. Both PM2.5 and PM10 could be caused by rising dust and vehicles usually aggravate this problem too. Microplastics are freshly discovered as one more category of air pollutants, mostly caused here due to the friction between the road and the vehicle tyres,” says K. Babu Rao, a veteran scientist and environment activist.