Post-Diwali air quality better than last year

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 8

The state witnessed lesser pollution on Diwali this year as compared to last year, reveals data collected by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). For the second consecutive year, the state witnessed less pollution as per the air quality data collected in six different cities.

The data, collected late on Wednesday night, shows that the air quality was in “poor” category as compared to “very poor” last year.

Krunesh Garg, Member Secretary, PPCB, said as per the data at monitoring stations in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Khanna, Mandi Gobindgarh and Patiala, the average air quality index of Punjab was at 234 as compared to 328 last year, indicating a decrease of 29 per cent in AQI.

The AQI at 4 pm on Wednesday was 150 in Patiala, 283 Mandi Gobindgarh, 137 Ludhiana, 205 Jalandhar, 162 Amritsar and 186 Khanna. The state average of 187 showed that the air quality was in satisfactory zone. The same entered poor quality zone within a few hours after cracker smoke added to the pollution level and the state average reached 234.

The data shows respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) in the state in microgram per cubicmetre (µg/m³) also saw a decrease this year.

“Last year, average PM10 was 430µgm/m3 and PM2.5 was 226µgm/m3, whereas this year, these were 277µgm/m3 and 126µgm/m3, respectively. There was 36 per cent and 44 per cent reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 levels, respectively,” said PPCB Chairman SS Marwaha. He gave credit to school and college students who refrained from bursting crackers.