Local factors, not state, to blame for smog in Delhi, Lahore: PPCB chief
Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) Chairman Adarsh Pal Vig has slammed the statements that farm fires in the state polluted the air in Delhi and Lahore.
When still conditions were prevailing in the region and the wind velocity was less than 2 km per hour, how could farm fires cause pollution in other cities, he asked.
He added that local emission sources were contributing to the rising pollution levels in these highly-populated cities. Vig said stubble burning had affected the air quality in Punjab more than that of the national capital.
“An impression is being created that Punjab is solely to be blamed for the pollution in Delhi,” said Vig.
He added that factors such as density of population, emissions from domestic appliances, construction projects, industry and a large number of vehicles are also contributing to the air pollution.
The two cities are heavily populated and a number of studies have proven that local factors have led to pollution there.
Sharing an image of brown smog over the region, Dr Hiren Jethva, a senior research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and affiliated with Morgan State University, has written on his X handle that the “browning effect” or “darkening effect” of clouds/fog, caused by light-absorbing smoke aerosols, either mixed with clouds or positioned above them, strengthens temperature inversion (warmer air above cooler air), traps air pollutants near-surface and deteriorates AQI.
As per the Meteorological Department, the weather would remain dry in Punjab and dense to very dense fog was expected to prevail in the region for two days.
A day after 509 farm fires were witnessed in the region, the number of incidents nosedived today. Only five cases were reported from the state.
However, experts said the decline was due to the dense fog prevailing in the region as the satellite could not detect farm fires. Meanwhile, the air quality of Amritsar and Rupnagar continued to remain very poor.
