India, Dec. 4 -- Pune's air quality deteriorated sharply on Thursday, slipping into the 'poor' category as pollution levels spiked across the city. Three key monitoring stations - Shivajinagar, Lohegaon and Bhumkar Nagar-recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) values above 300, placing them in the 'very poor' zone.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer App showed the citywide AQI at 213 around 9pm. This is the second such spike in the first week of December; on December 1, Pune had logged an AQI of 202. According to data, Bhumkar Nagar AQI at 309, MHADA Colony, Lohegaon, AQI at 304 and Shivajinagar AQi at 311.

Despite an unusually cold November, the city had largely managed to stay in the 'moderate' range. But the onset of Dec...