Air quality in several areas of Haryana and neighboring Punjab fell into the ‘poor’ category on Saturday. According to the Sameer app, which provides hourly updates from the Central Pollution Control Board, Chandigarh—shared capital of both states—also recorded a ‘poor’ AQI. Although some regions in Haryana, including Gurugram, Jind, Ambala, and Kurukshetra, saw a slight improvement in air quality, they still remained categorized as ‘poor.’
The AQI readings in these areas had been ‘very poor’ the day after Diwali. At 9 am as of Saturday morning, AQI levels were measured at 212 in Gurugram, 285 in Jind, 224 in Ambala, and 262 in Kurukshetra, compared to significantly higher readings of 344, 340, 308, and 304 from the previous day.
Other cities in Haryana showed varying AQI levels: Bahadurgarh recorded 218, Bhiwani 224, Charkhi Dadri 229, Fatehabad 224, Hisar 204, Karnal 277, Sirsa 251, and Yamunanagar 243. Meanwhile, Sonipat’s AQI was notably higher, falling into the ‘very poor’ category at 324.
The Air Quality Index categorizes air quality as follows: 0-50 is ‘good,’ 51-100 is ‘satisfactory,’ 101-200 is ‘moderate,’ 201-300 is ‘poor,’ 301-400 is ‘very poor,’ 401-450 is ‘severe,’ and anything above 450 is classified as ‘severe plus.’ Chandigarh’s AQI was recorded at 289, a slight decrease from 303 the previous day.
In Punjab, Amritsar’s air quality remained ‘very poor,’ worsening to 346 from a previous reading of 314 at 9 am on Friday. Conversely, Mandi Gobindgarh saw improvement, with its AQI dropping to 206 from 331. Other notable readings included Jalandhar at 239, Khanna at 206, Ludhiana at 291, and Patiala at 231. Notably, Punjab reported its highest spike in farm fires on Friday, with a total of 587 cases recorded statewide.
Air Quality Level in West Bengal
The air quality index (AQI) in Kolkata also fell into the ‘poor’ category on Saturday following Diwali celebrations, as reported by a West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) official. At 9 am, the AQI readings were recorded at 288 in Ballygunge, 210 in Jadavpur, 211 at Rabindra Bharati University, and 219 in Bidhannagar, all categorized as ‘poor.’ Other areas saw slightly better readings: 195 at Fort William, 183 at Rabindra Sarobar, and 179 at Victoria Memorial.
According to the WBPCB, guidelines permitting only green fireworks and a crackdown on the sale of illegal firecrackers in districts like South 24 Parganas helped prevent the AQI from exceeding 300. WBPCB chairman Kalyan Rudra emphasized that while pollution levels this year were lower than in previous years, public responsibility is essential to tackle air and sound pollution.
During the celebrations of Kali Puja and Diwali on Thursday and Friday, respectively, firecrackers were widely set off. Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh noted that the use of firecrackers was rampant from 9 pm to midnight across various neighborhoods, including Dhakuria, Jadavpur, Ballygunge, Chetla, Beleghata, and Sinthi.
He advocated for increased police presence in areas known for excessive firecracker use, such as Jadavpur, Tollygunge, Kasba, Behala, Beleghata, Entally, Chitpur, Cossipore, Dumdum, and Lake Town. Another environmental advocate, Naba Dutta of Sabuj Manch, highlighted the need for stricter monitoring of decibel limits.
(With PTI Inputs)