Haze in Punjab causes worst air quality in last 10 years

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

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



Dust particles that engulfed the entire region from Wednesday afternoon has pushed the state’s Ambient Air Quality (AQI) to the severest category, even higher than the pollution levels that persist during the stubble burning ahead of winters, every year.

Going by the figures recorded at the continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations across the state, most parts 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 was 488 micrograms/m3 and at Mandi Gobindgarh at 500 micrograms/m3.

Dust particles in air causing major respiratory problems

At Ropar, AQI was 471 micrograms/m3 and the CAAQMS at Patiala and Jalandhar could not collect even data to compute the AQI.

The PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels were also found to be alarmingly high since Wednesday afternoon. The figures reveal that the air pollution across the state is worse than the days when paddy stubble is set on fire ahead of the winters, each year. In November 2017, when paddy residue was being burnt across the state, the AQI monitors were reflecting readings of 320 micrograms/m3 at Amritsar, 332 micrograms/m3 at Ludhiana and 371 micrograms/m3 at Mandi Gobindgarh, which was in a very poor category.

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

The dust particles hanging in the atmosphere are also causing respiratory problems. As per WHO, the AQI up to 50 micrograms/m3 is considered to be good with minimal impact on human health, up to 100 micrograms/m3 it can cause minor breathing problems to sensitive people. An AQI in the range of 101 to 200 micrograms/m3 is kept in the moderate category and can cause breathing discomfort to people with respiratory issues and up to 300, the AQI is said to be poor which can cause problems for healthy people on prolonged exposure. When the AQI rises above 301 to 400 micrograms/ m3 it can cause respiratory problems amongst health individuals and above 400 micrograms/m3, it starts having a serious impact on the human health.

KS Pannu, the chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), said the rise in pollution had been caused by a natural phenomenon. He said inputs received from the meteorological department suggest that the dust would settle down by Friday afternoon as the region is expected to receive rains. He said the PPCB had already issued an advisory to the residents that people with acute respiratory problems should avoid venturing out during the poor air quality and they should also avoid sporting and other activities till the weather returns to normal.