Heavy smog engulfs Chandigarh as air quality takes hit, flights delayed

Residents woke up to a thick covering of smog in the tricity on Wednesday with the Air Quality Index (AQI) being recorded at 339 in Chandigarh, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category. The smog reduced the visibility considerably in the region.

Flight operations were also delayed at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, due to low visibility.

All the morning flights, arrival and departure are running late by half-an-hour.

The Pune-Chandigarh flight was also behind the schedule by 30 minutes. No flight has been cancelled till now.

However, the Bangkok flight arrival at the Amritsar airport had to be diverted to Delhi on Tuesday at around 11:30 pm.

The Central Pollution Control Board classifies AQI levels as 'good' (0-50), 'satisfactory' (51-100), 'moderate' (101-200), 'poor' (201-300), 'very poor' (301-400), and 'severe' (401-450), with any reading above 450 deemed 'severe plus.'

Meanwhile, the diesel generator (DG) sets usage, except emergency services, are also being banned in the UT. Permission for its usage will now be given by the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee.

A graded response action plan has also been invoked to manage the air quality in the city.