‘Moderate’ air quality recorded in Kochi after Deepavali

The overall air quality index (AQI) was in the ‘moderate’ category in Kochi around 12 noon on Tuesday (October 21, 2025.)

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an overall AQI in the “moderate” category indicated that the air quality is acceptable to most people. However, it may cause minor breathing discomfort for individuals with lung diseases such as asthma, and discomfort for people with heart disease, children, and older adults.

The overall AQI was 83 in Kochi, as per the data available under the Air Quality Index (AQI) tracker in Google Maps.

The Udyogmandal industrial area recorded an overall AQI of 90, while the corresponding value in Vyttila was 88. In Kathrikadavu, the AQI was 82, while the value in Kacheripady was 81.

The average AQI went up slightly on Tuesday compared to the situation on Monday (October 20, 2025). The overall AQI in Kochi was 76 on Monday.

Kochi was among the cities that had not figured in the AQI data provided by the CPCB “due to insufficient data”.

According to officials of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, the data for Kochi was not available as the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) at Vyttila and the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, remain non-functional.

The systems stopped working nearly a year ago as the annual maintenance contract of the operator had expired. The process to renew the annual contract has been initiated, they said.