Rain in 2 days offers hope as Punjab gasps for breath with pollution reaching critical levels

Continuous stubble burning is suffocating people and has worsened air pollution resulting in blanketing Punjab by dark haze.

The thick blanket of smog in most areas in Punjab for the past 15 hours has made it difficult for people to breathe.

As the air pollution worsened, the weathermen have predicted rain in the coming two days, which might come as a respite to the people in the state. The dry weather and air pollution continue to remain the biggest cause of respiratory diseases and irritation in eyes among the people after the harvesting season.

Despite efforts of the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and the National Green Tribunal, there is no change in the situation.

The air quality index (AQI) of Punjab, which was already “poor”, has stayed that way with the bursting of crackers and more farm fires in past 10 days across the state recently.

The absence of rain has aggravated the situation.“Prolonged exposure to such weather may result in problems to the respiratory system as ultra-fine particulates can embed deep into lungs and enter the bloodstream”, say health experts.

Low visibility due to smog has also caused inconvenience to commuters with the visibility declining. Two cars and three other accidents have been reported in the city due to the smoggy conditions, though no one was injured.