City residents gasp for breath as air quality turns ‘very poor’

“Green Diwali, Clean Diwali”, “Say no to crackers!” The slogans appeared confined to paper only as the air quality of Ludhiana reached “very poor” category from “poor” yesterday following bursting of crackers on the occasion of Diwali. The AQI for Ludhiana rose to 339 from yesterday’s 204.

Following the bursting of crackers, the city was engulfed in smoke all over and patients suffering from respiratory ailments were the worst affected as those with breathing problems faced difficulties. Even the old and aged were in for a tough time following acute pollution in the air.

Nayra, a teenage girl in Civil Lines, said that her 78-year-old grandfather was in a bad state because of pollution in the air and was regularly coughing following bursting of crackers and smoke.

The AQI recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on November 2 showed deteriorating air quality. In Amritsar, the AQI was 368 while in Chandigarh, it was 277. The air quality index in Ludhiana was recorded at 339 and at Mandi Gobindgarh, it was 203.

Pradeep Kumar, president, Crackers Association here, said that Diwali was celebrated over two days this year and the exact figure was not known but as per rough estimates, crackers worth over Rs 15 crore were sold this year while last year, the sale was of an estimated Rs 8-Rs 10 crore.