Thick blanket of smog engulfs Ludhiana, chokes residents, lowers visibility

The rising pollution levels engulfed the city under a thick blanket of smog, especially during morning and evening hours, on Wednesday.

It has led to a sudden spike in cases of respiratory, eye disorders and pulmonary complications. Besides, the visibility was also reduced considerably with motorists facing difficulties in driving vehicles.

A visit to a few clinics and hospitals in the district revealed that patients, especially the children and aged, were flocking doctors for treatment of various ailments caused by air pollution.

“We have witnessed a surge of almost 50 per cent patients complaining of respiratory, eye disorders and pulmonary complications, mainly caused by the rising pollution levels since the previous week,” a leading paediatrician, AP Singh said.

The AQI further shot up from 209 on Tuesday and 202 on Monday to 216 on Wednesday, with PM2.5 remaining the prominent pollutant. The data monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that the AQI levels rose and continued to fall under the “poor” category as the day progressed.

It left Ludhiana as the fifth most polluted city in the state on Wednesday.

“The trend clearly points towards at stubble burning as farm fires start with the onset of day and increase as the day progresses,” an agronomist, Dr Anjuman Singh, opined.

However, no fresh case of farm fire was reported in the district on Wednesday. With six stubble burning cases recorded on Tuesday, as many as 177 farm fires had been recorded in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, this season so far.

It was almost 14 per cent of the 1,255 fire events spotted in the district during the corresponding period in 2023 and around 8 per cent of 2,199 farm fires recorded here till November 13 in 2022.

Experts, however, said the incidents of farm fires could still pick up in the district as almost 30 per cent paddy was yet to be harvested.

The Agriculture Department said around 70 per cent of the total 2.57 lakh hectares paddy area was yet to be harvested in Ludhiana.

Meanwhile, the administration had identified as many as 30 hotspots of stubble burning across five blocks in the district this season.

Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal said the hotspots had been marked on the basis of farm fire incidents reported during the past year and number of crop residue management machineries available at identified physical locations in Ludhiana.

With 2.57 lakh hectares, which is equivalent to 6.35 lakh acres, under paddy cultivation, the maximum in the state, the district will generate 16.53 lakh tonnes of paddy straw at the rate of 6.43 tonne per hectare.

The DC said as many as 8,223 machines of 13 types had been made available to manage stubble in 969 villages spread across 11 blocks in the district.

Stubble burning hotspots

Rasulpur, Malha, Hathur, Bassian, Manuke, Kaonke Kalan, Dahlla, Chhajjawal, Lohat Baddi, Jalaldiwal, Nathowal, Roomi, Kamal Pura, Jhordan, Swadai Kalan, Hans Kalan, Rashin, Dhoorkot, Galib Kalan, Barde Ke, Lakha, Gobindgarh, Kalsian, Abbupura, Chiman, Akhara, Chak Bhaika, Johlan, Talwandi Rai and Sahouli.