AQI at 369, city wakes up to smoggy morning
With the average air quality index (AQI) of Amritsar once again breaching the 350 mark on Saturday, a day after Diwali celebrations were held, the city became nothing short of a gas chamber with thick smog engulfing the area throughout the day. Amritsar residents woke up on a smoggy morning which intensified again in the evening as AQI hit the 369 mark, remaining in ‘very poor’ category. This was for the third consecutive day that the average AQI in city had crossed the 300 mark, raising serious questions over the quality of air.
Visibility remained affected throughout the day as particulate matter (PM) 2.5 content remained very high, touching 169 µg/m3, which is regarded as very unhealthy. These are fine pollutants indicating air pollution with the main components being sulfates, nitrates, ammonia, black carbon, mineral dust and water. This impacts visibility and has adverse effects on health as proven. The WHO guidelines state that annual average concentrations of PM 2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m3, while 24-hour average exposures should not exceed 15 µg/m3 for more than 3-4 days per year. “Green crackers are a hype and high PM 2.5 concentration in air is a sign that we must take note of. Cracker burning leaves aluminum, barium, manganese and such elements in air and these stay in air for 3-5 days, if not dispensed through rainfall or strong winds. The average air quality index in hourly data shows much higher indicators of pollution and it gets worse after sunset as dispersion of pollutants decreases during the evening and night time,” said Dr Manpreet Bhatti, who specialises in environmental engineering, water and wastewater treatment, ambient air quality and is a part of Guru Nanak Dev University’s project on monitoring ambient air quality in the city.
Is Amritsar turning into a gas chamber?
Amritsar remained the most polluted city in Punjab during the week prior to Diwali. The city’s air quality index (AQI) ranged between “moderate” to “poor” category. As per data made available from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Amritsar district’s AQI for five days from October 26-30 remained at 228, 310, 160, 185 and 185, respectively. On October 30 last year, the AQI in Amritsar was 195.
On Friday, the AQI was recorded at 350, with smog and pollution visible in air, prompting officials to consider imposing “Level 3” restrictions if the air quality fails to improve soon. While stubble burning, burning of garbage in open and vehicular pollution remain big contributors, has breathing unhealthy air become a new normal for people in Amritsar? Dr Bhatti, who has published studies on ambient air pollution and its direct impact on human health, shares his bit. “It is dangerous that this has become a new normal. High AQI is reported during night as it is a nocturnal phenomenon. Given that despite the health advisory, several checks and bans in place, people still remain unfazed and burn crackers and garbage points to our indifferent approach towards a serious health hazard.”
Dr Naresh Chawla, a senior pulmonologist from the city, says, “There was chaos today at the clinic as during the past few days, patients with chronic asthma and respiratory illnesses have faced severe trigger. The air quality is unhealthy for the elderly and children and should be advised to stay indoors as much as possible. The last two years were better in terms of air quality during this time but this year, the drop in temperature and unchecked violations in farm fires and cracker burning has given Amritsar an infamous title of becoming the most polluted city in Punjab. If not checked, the situation is going to be same as in Delhi NCR.”
