Chandigarh’s AQI soars to scary high of 460

Despite UT efforts, the pollution crisis deepened in Chandigarh on Thursday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in parts of the city shot up to 460.

This is the highest that has been recorded at any of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) observatories active in Chandigarh since 2019.

The AQI reading hit 460 at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 22 around 12 pm and stayed at this level for the next few hours.

The highest that the AQI went in Sector 53 was 455, also at 12 pm. Both fall in the severe category, as per CPCB. Meanwhile, AQI has yet to breach the 400 mark at the CAAQMS observatory in Sector 25, where it went up to 369 as of 7 pm, still in the very poor bracket.

As per the daily AQI bulletin, at 412, Chandigarh was second only to Delhi (424) out of the 249 cities where AQI was recorded on Thursday.

Between 401-500, AQI is considered severe. It affects even healthy people, while seriously impacting those with existing diseases.

In the past six years, the second highest AQI was 453, recorded on Diwali night in 2023, primarily due to a late Diwali on November 12, with temperature inversion further compounding the pollution. But it had improved within a few days.

This year, the air quality has been worsening even two weeks after Diwali, which was celebrated on October 31. While the AQI had seen some improvement for three days post Diwali, it eventually dropped to “very poor” for seven straight days, before entering the “severe” category on Wednesday.

Before the CPCB started its first continuous observatory in Sector 25 in 2019, there were dry dust storms in the city in June 2018. Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) used to manually record the AQI at their own four observatories. An AQI reading of 575 was recorded on June 14, due to these dust storms, which is the highest recorded AQI for the city.

Dense smog blankets city

With the falling temperature and smog developing in the city from Tuesday, the haze was at its thickest on Thursday morning. Visibility dropped to just 190 metres at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) observatory in Sector 39. It was 500 meters at the airport and improved during the day.

Speaking about this, IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said dense fog in November was unusual for the city. “Dense fog usually forms in the city towards the end of December in the peak of the winter season. This time, it is smog, which has caused this early haze.”

Some relief expected next week

“Due to an active Western Disturbance, there is humidity in the air and a low pressure area, which has combined with pollutants and the falling temperature, leading to the prevalent smog. Once the system passes, we can expect north-westerly winds to blow, which can disperse the pollutants by next week,” Paul shared.

Meanwhile, the maximum temperature rose from 25.3°C on Wednesday to 26.4°C on Thursday, while the minimum temperature fell from 16.8°C on Wednesday to 14.6°C on Thursday. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain around 28°C, while the minimum temperature will remain around 17°C.

Mask up: Respiratory illnesses on the rise

Amid the heightened pollution levels, city hospitals are reporting an increase in cases of respiratory illnesses, including asthma and breathlessness, along with eye allergies and itchiness in the throat.

UT director for health services Dr Suman Singh said there was a 15% increase in cases of asthma at GMSH, Sector 16, alone.

Doctors at PGIMER have advised residents to stay indoors amid the worsening air conditions. Dr Ashutosh N Aggarwal, head, department of pulmonary medicine, PGIMER, said, “Outdoor exercises and walks, especially brisk walking, should be avoided during periods of severe air pollution, especially for people with underlying chronic lung diseases like asthma. Even walks during periods of relatively better AQI, such as around mid-day, should be accompanied by a well-fitting mask. Exercising indoors at home or in a gym should be relatively safe,” he said.