Day after Gurpurab, Ludhiana air quality index worsens
At 345, air quality of Ludhiana was the worst in Punjab.
A day after Gurpurb festival, city’s air quality worsened as the figure on the index shot up to 345 from Saturday’s 321. The mark, put in context, shows the city not far behind Delhi (368) and was, in fact, at the top in Punjab, in terms of poor air quality conditions, said PPCB chairman.
It brackets the air in the ‘very poor’ quality zone (see box) of Air Quality Index (AQI) as recorded by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on Sunday.
However the authorities claimed that bursting of crackers on Saturday night had a very less impact on pollution level, but stubble burning is continuously taking a toll on the residents.
The PPCB authorities claimed that Ludhiana is no less than Delhi as the AQI level of Delhi recorded on Sunday was 368.
Meanwhile the AQI of Mandi Gobindgarh on Sunday was 297, while at Amritsar it was 289. Both the districts fall under poor quality zone. The AQI of Panchkula in Haryana was recorded at 202.
The chairman of PPCB, Kahan Singh Pannu, said stubble burning by the farmers is continuously taking a toll on the environment and the residents. Speaking about the crackers bursted on the night of Gurpurb in the state, Pannu said it had a very low impact on the air quality as they were less as compared to previous years.
However the rise in AQI figure of the city is a matter of concern as it is repeatedly falling under very poor quality zone and the residents are facing a lot of health issues due to the same. Also, the visibility level is decreasing, which is becoming a source of worry for the commuters.
The authorities are continuously keeping a check on stubble burning and action is being taken against the culprits, said Pannu.