Chandigarh, Punjab see relative improvement in air quality
As the chill sets in, it's not just fog, but toxic air that's troubling the people in North India.
At many places, heavy fog was witnessed in Punjab and Haryana, which reduced the visibility to zero.
Chandigarh and several places in Haryana on Friday recorded very poor air quality while in neighbouring Punjab the situation was comparatively better.
Something that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann would be happy about after Punjab was blamed for smoke in Delhi and Pakistan's Lahore.
In defence of Punjab, Chief Minister had said "there should be no "blame game" over the pollution issue and stressed that its solution should be found in cooperation with other states."
The residents of the city beautiful, a day after experiencing the worst air quality in the country, got some relief from pollution as around 11 am, the average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 323, whereas, it was 425 during the same time on Thursday, the highest in the country, followed by Delhi at 423.
Chandigarh recorded the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 327 at 10 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer app, which provides hourly updates.
On Thursday, Chandigarh, which is the common capital of Haryana and Punjab, had witnessed its AQI plunging to the 'severe' category for the first time in the season.
The air quality in several parts of Haryana was also recorded in the very poor bracket on Friday.
In Punjab, Amritsar recorded its AQI at 225, Ludhiana 178, Mandi Gobindgarh 203, Rupnagar 228 and Jalandhar 241.
As of 6:15 A.M., data from the CPCB indicated an average AQI of 409 in Delhi, categorised as "severe," meaning it poses a significant health risk to residents.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, 401 and 450 severe and above 450 severe plus.
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana after harvesting the paddy crop in October and November is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi.
With inputs from agencies
