Chandigarh: Air quality slides to very poor again
IMD attributes drop in air quality to declining day temperature, which was recorded at 29.8°C on Thursday, the lowest in recent days
The slight improvement in city’s pollution levels earlier this week did not last long as the air quality has started to plummet again, returning to the very poor category.
At 8 pm on Thursday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) went up to 303 at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 53, which is considered very poor. The AQI was 296 at the CAAQMS in Sector 22 and 282 in the CAAQMS in Sector 25, both in the poor category.
The air quality remained very poor in Sector 53 for most part of the day on Thursday. It had first crossed 300 at 4 pm on Wednesday and remained very poor since then.
This station is closest to Mohali and thus, more affected by stubble burning. Further, it is also located opposite the Sector 43 Inter-State Bus Terminus, an area that records high traffic movement.
An AQI between 301-400 can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure. Even between 201-300, it can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.
Very poor air quality on four of first seven days of November
Following the widespread bursting of firecrackers on Diwali, which fell on October 31, air quality has been very poor on four of the first seven days of November and poor on the remaining three days.
After Diwali, the AQI had remained very poor on November 1 and 2, but improved to poor over the following three days. India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials attributed the improvement to higher temperatures and the effect of North-Westerly winds.
But with the maximum temperature dropping to 30°C on Wednesday, the air quality turned very poor again due to the effect of temperature inversion.
On Thursday, the maximum temperature fell further to 29.8°C, the lowest in recent days, but still 1.5 degrees above normal.
Speaking about this, IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said, “Warmer days provide more energy and help pollutants scatter in the air. But as the temperature drops, pollutants form a small envelope over the city, which significantly affects the AQI.”
As per IMD, there are chances of mist for the next couple of days due to the falling temperature, which can further increase the AQI.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature rose from 17.3°C on Wednesday to 17.7°C on Thursday, 4.4 degrees above normal. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain around 30°C and the minimum temperature around 17°C.