Chandigarh, with max tree cover in India, chokes under worst air quality
As north India grappled with rising pollution levels on Wednesday, Chandigarh was the worst hit with an AQI of 358.
Chandigarh is the joint capital of both states.
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 the region. As the window for sowing the Rabi crop, wheat, is very short after paddy harvest, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear the crop residue.
According to Central Pollution Control Board's App, Chandigarh with an AQI of 375 falls in the “very poor” category.
The air quality of Chandigarh that boasts of the third-highest tree cover in India was worse than Punjab's prominent industrial city Ludhiana at 212.
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'.
In Punjab, the AQI was registered at 303 in Mandi Gobindgarh, 265 in Amritsar, 190 in Rupnagar, 233 in Jalandhar, 148 in Bathinda and 260 in Patiala.
In another agrarian state, the AQI in Faridabad was 230 and 318 in Sonipat, 222 in Karnal, 342 in Bhiwani, 312 in Jind, 321 in Charkhi Dadri and 277 in Gurugram.
Both Punjab and Haryana have been blamed for the rise in air pollution levels owing to farm fires.
While the air quality in various cities in Punjab and Haryana has been hovering in the ‘poor' category, Chandigarh stands out in the region for its alarmingly ‘very poor' AQI for the past four days.
On November 10 Chandigarh's AQI was worse than the national Capital. However, this year, both Punjab and Haryana recorded much less farm fires compared to the previous years.
Till Tuesday this year, Punjab reported 7,112 incidents of farm fires and on Tuesday alone, the number was just 83.
Haryana, so far recorded 1,020 stubble burning incidents.
Dr Ravinder Khaiwal, Professor with the Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, blamed the city's spike in AQI to afternoon winds circulating over Punjab and Haryana, carrying pollution from nearby areas, that passed through Chandigarh.
An official at the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) in Chandigarh pointed out the unfavourable weather conditions with low wind speed, around one km per hour, that created a “canopy of vehicular and industrial pollutants and smog from farm fires.”
“The pollutants from vehicular traffic and other sources, besides temperature inversion are contributing to the canopy of the pollution hanging in the sky,” the official added.
Amid the ongoing worst air quality, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) has directed the Municipal Corporation to implement measures, including water sprinkling, particularly in high-traffic areas, markets and near construction sites.
UT director of environment T.C. Nautiyal said open biomass burning has been prohibited, which was noticed at certain places, and the committee has advised increased water sprinkling to help reduce airborne dust.
With IANS inputs
