Haze in Punjab causes worst air quality in last 10 years

PATIALA: Punjab is experiencing its worst air quality in the remaining 10 years as cyclonic flow over northwest Madhya Pradesh coupled with a trough extending from northwest Rajasthan to Bihar has thrown up dust from the Thar desert into the ambience.

Taking cognisance of serious air air pollution, Haryana, too has issued an advisory.

Dust debris that engulfed all of the region from Wednesday afternoon has pushed the state’s Ambient Air Quality (AQI) to the severest class, even higher than the air pollution ranges that persist all the way through the stubble burning forward of winters, yearly.

Going through the figures recorded on the steady ambient air quality monitoring stations across the state, most portions of Punjab have an AQI between 459 micrograms/m3 to over 500 micrograms/m3. The AQI of Amritsar has been recorded at 459 micrograms/m3 and in Khanna at 491 micrograms/ m3. At Ludhiana, the AQI used to be 488 micrograms/m3 and at Mandi Gobindgarh at 500 micrograms/m3.

Dust debris in air causing main breathing issues

At Ropar, AQI used to be 471 micrograms/m3 and the CAAQMS at Patiala and Jalandhar may just no longer accumulate even data to compute the AQI.

The PM 2.five and PM 10 ranges have been additionally discovered to be alarmingly high since Wednesday afternoon. The figures expose that the air air pollution across the state is worse than the days when paddy stubble is ready on hearth forward of the winters, each and every year. In November 2017, when paddy residue used to be being burnt across the state, the AQI displays have been reflecting readings of 320 micrograms/m3 at Amritsar, 332 micrograms/m3 at Ludhiana and 371 micrograms/m3 at Mandi Gobindgarh, which used to be in a very poor class.

Before the dust hurricane, the AQI at Amritsar used to be recorded at 131 micrograms/m3, at Khanna it used to be 111, at Jalandhar it used to be 96 and at Ludhiana, it used to be 139 micrograms/m3. At Mandi Gobindgarh, the reading used to be 258 micrograms/m3 and in Patiala and Ropar it used to be recorded at 80 and 106 micrograms/m3, respectively.

The dust debris placing in the surroundings also are causing breathing issues. As in line with WHO, the AQI up to 50 micrograms/m3 is thought of as to be just right with minimum have an effect on on human health, up to 100 micrograms/m3 it will possibly cause minor respiring issues to sensitive folks. An AQI in the vary of 101 to 200 micrograms/m3 is saved in the average class and can cause respiring discomfort to folks with breathing problems and up to 300, the AQI is claimed to be poor which will cause issues for wholesome folks on prolonged publicity. When the AQI rises above 301 to 400 micrograms/ m3 it will possibly cause breathing issues among health people and above 400 micrograms/m3, it begins having a serious have an effect on on the human health.

KS Pannu, the chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), stated the upward thrust in air pollution had been brought about through a natural phenomenon. He stated inputs gained from the meteorological department counsel that the dust would relax through Friday afternoon because the region is expected to obtain rains. He stated the PPCB had already issued an advisory to the citizens that folks with acute breathing issues must keep away from venturing out all the way through the poor air quality they usually must additionally keep away from carrying and other activities until the weather returns to commonplace.