Chandigarh: The air quality across Punjab and Haryana deteriorated sharply after Diwali celebrations, reaching dangerous levels in several cities. Many parts of Haryana recorded air quality in the ‘very poor’ category due to widespread bursting of firecrackers on Sunday night, while stubble burning continued to affect parts of Punjab.
In Punjab, thick layers of smog were visible in several areas even as residents celebrated Diwali. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Kapurthala recorded an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of around 500 at 7 am on Monday. The AQI stood at 212 in Amritsar, 242 in Jalandhar, and 268 in Ludhiana at 8 am.
Haryana’s Bahadurgarh recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 358 at 8 am, followed by Jind at 350. Gurugram’s Sector 51 and Vikas Sadan stations reported AQI levels of 348 and 325 respectively. Rohtak recorded 343, Bhiwani 307, Faridabad 249, Kaithal 290, Sonipat 255, Karnal 225, Kurukshetra 234, Panipat 231 and Sirsa 296.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, 401–450 ‘severe’, and anything above 450 is classified as ‘severe plus’.
Environmental experts have warned that continued stubble burning and post-Diwali pollution could further worsen air quality across northern India in the coming days.
