Jaipur, Nov. 11 -- Diwali celebrations across Rajasthan this year spurred air pollution levels across the state's major cities to record a major spike as compared to corresponding figures from last year. City-wise air-quality index (AQI) data compiled for Tuesday by the State Pollution Control Board showed Sri Ganganagar recording the state's highest reported Air Quality Index (AQI) of 346 at 2pm, followed by Alwar at 326 and Bikaner at 300, Hanumangarh with an AQI of 275 , followed by Udaipur and Nagaur with 270 each, Kota with 265 and Pali with 263.Bharatpur registered a figure of 233 and Ajmer a figure of 228. indicating poor air quality in both eastern and western Rajasthan. In Jaipur, pollution levels varied across monitoring stations. Mansarovar recorded an AQI of 230, followed by the Police Commissionerate area at 228 and Shastri Nagar at 221, all in the 'poor' category. Adarsh Nagar registered 163, Murlipura 162 and Sitapura 157, placing these locations in the 'moderate' category. Last year's RSPCB bulletin showed that 25 of the 34 monitored locations recorded air quality in the 'poor' or 'very poor' categories on October 21, 2025, the day after Diwali. Bhiwadi was the worst affected with an AQI of 364, followed by Sri Ganganagar at 285, Dholpur at 276, Hanumangarh at 274, Kota at 273 and Jaipur at 272. Meanwhile, data from the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) official monitoring portal showed considerably higher peak pollutant sub-indices at individual stations over the preceding 24 hours. At Sri Ganganagar's Old City monitoring station, the PM10 sub-index peaked at 489. The PM2.5 sub-index reached a maximum of 170. According to CPCB standards, an AQI between 201 and 300 is classified as 'poor', while readings between 301 and 400 fall in the 'very poor' category. Dr Ajit Singh Shekhawat, senior physician and chest specialist at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, said use of firecrackers during Diwali had increased the concentration of harmful gases, including carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere. "The number of patients reporting respiratory problems at hospitals has increased by nearly 30% compared to normal days," he said....