"Houses have caught fire, the AQI is hazardous."
Actor Bhumi Pednekar has raised her concerns over the deteriorating air quality following the Diwali celebrations.
Firecrackers bursting on Diwali night led to a sharp rise in pollution across Mumbai.
Nine of the city’s 25 air quality monitoring stations recorded poor air quality on November 9, 2026.
Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index stood at 171, placing it in the moderate category.
She also tagged Mumbai Police while sharing her worries about the bursting of crackers.
Taking to Instagram Stories, she wrote:
“Houses have caught fire, the AQI is hazardous, roads are full of waste, it’s 3 am and all I can hear are loud crackers.
“Our roads were full of people bursting crackers on them, out in the open, even when it’s not allowed.”
“This is heartbreaking.”
She also shared a post reflecting on the aftermath of the festival.
It read: “Diwali is a festival of light, love, family and new beginnings.
“But every year, along with the celebrations, comes a familiar aftermath.”
“Polluted air, firecracker waste, noise and frightened animals.
“Firecrackers release fine particulate matter and other pollutants that add to an already challenging air-quality situation.
“And the impact isn’t experienced equally. Children, older people, those with respiratory conditions and animals are particularly vulnerable.
“This year, let’s make a choice that allows everyone, including the ones who cannot speak for themselves, to enjoy the festival.”
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI of 0 to 50 is considered good.
A reading between 51 and 100 is satisfactory, while 101 to 200 falls in the moderate category.
An AQI of 201 to 300 is considered poor, and 301 to 400 is very poor.
Readings from 401 to 500 are classified as severe by the board.
On Monday morning, nine monitoring stations in Mumbai recorded poor air quality.
Twelve stations were in the moderate category, while three recorded satisfactory air quality.
Only Borivali East recorded good air quality among the city’s monitoring stations.
The AQI crossed 400 at several locations in Mumbai during the night.
Chembur recorded high readings, with the AQI rising to 334 before climbing further to 401 overnight.
By 7 am, the reading in Chembur had fallen to 216.
Navy Nagar was among the worst affected locations in the city. Its AQI was already high at 359 around 10 pm.
It remained close to the 400 mark through the night and peaked at 497 at 2 am.
At 7 am, the reading at Navy Nagar stood at 274. At Shivaji Nagar, the AQI spiked to 444 at 11 pm.
Readings there were comparatively lower in the hours before and after the spike.
