Dust haze hangs over Punjab, Haryana; flight operations again hit

Press Trust of India  |  Chandigarh 

A blanket of dust haze covered

and for the third day today, disrupting flight operations at the airport here.

In view of the prevailing weather condition, some flight operators had yesterday itself announced cancellation of flights scheduled for the day, airport officials said.

Yesterday, over 30 flights were cancelled here as visibility levels dropped considerably due to the dust haze.

Air quality and visibility levels have been hit by the dust haze.

The meteorological department has said that the situation was likely to improve by this evening.

The weather department here said that a ground-level dust storm in Rajasthan, with wind speeds up to 40 kmph, had led to a spike in the levels of coarse particles in the air in most parts of and including Chandigarh.

Thunderstorm with squall is likely at isolated places in and today and tomorrow, according to the forecast.

In view of severe dust pollution, the Haryana State Board (HSPCB) yesterday issued an advisory that no construction activity could be carried out for the next two days in districts falling under the National Capital Region (NCR).

Haryana's said the Board was monitoring the pollution level and would advise further necessary steps in consultation with the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority and the Central Board.

The air quality in several parts of Punjab and Haryana has also been adversely affected for the past two days, officials said.

Children, the elderly and those who are ill, especially the ones facing respiratory issues, should take precautions and avoid going out in view of the prevailing weather conditions, health officials have advised.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, June 15 2018. 12:35 IST