Chandigarh, Oct. 20 -- At 118, the air quality index (AQI) of Chandigarh on Sunday, a day before Diwali, was moderate, revealed the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) daily bulletin.

This figure may likely go up on Diwali night when residents burst crackers, causing the air quality to deteriorate. However, unlike last year, when Diwali fell in November, the day temperatures are comparatively higher this time, which means the AQI may improve quickly, experts said. This is due to a phenomenon called temperature inversion, which prevents pollutants from getting scattered in the air and keeps them like a blanket over the city's air when the temperatures are lower.

Furthermore, stubble burning cases, a major contributor to poor AQI, in...