Chandigarh: Air quality continues to worsen for third straight day

The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained very poor (above 300) for the third straight day on Friday, with the falling temperature stopping pollutants from dispersing, and factors like stubble burning and traffic movement compounding the pollution crisis.

As per the AQI bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average AQI value at 4 pm, taking the average of all three stations in Chandigarh, was 310, falling in the very poor category.

The situation worsened in the evening. The AQI read 327 at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 53 at 7 pm and 311 at the CAAQMS in Sector 22. At the Sector 25 station, it was 287, still in the poor category.

PM2.5 can damage lung function, exacerbate heart diseases

The prominent pollutant continues to remain PM2.5, which is released by burning stubble and firecrackers. As per CPCB research, short-term exposure to PM2.5 can damage lung function, and exacerbate asthma and heart diseases, while long-term exposure is associated with an increased rate of chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, and increased mortality from lung cancer and heart diseases.

While AQI had started to improve three days after Diwali, it has started to worsen again due to temperature inversion, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD) Chandigarh director Surender Paul. The day temperature has been dipping daily for the past few days.

The maximum temperature dropped from 29.8°C on Thursday to 29.7°C on Friday, 1.4 degree above normal. The minimum temperature also fell from 17.7°C to 17.2°C, but was still 3.9 degrees above normal.

Due to the falling temperature and relatively high humidity, shallow fog is likely in the city during the early morning hours, which can further affect the air quality.

Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain around 29°C and the minimum temperature remain around 26°C.