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.

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