Dust, garbage burning adding most to poor air quality in Yamunanagar

Regional officer of the Haryana Pollution Control Board Nirmal Kashyap said dust due to poor condition of roads polluted the air to such levels

As the pollution level rises in the region, stubble burning appears not to be the only reason behind the toxic air in Yamunanagar. The city has recorded fewer active fire locations (AFLs), 355, as on Wednesday, compared to 872 of Karnal and 756 of Kurukshetra, but its Air Quality Index (AQI) oscillated between “poor” and “very poor” this week.

Representative image/HT

Experts feel that dust is major contributor to the air pollution in Yamunanagar. Regional officer of the Haryana Pollution Control Board Nirmal Kashyap said dust due to poor condition of roads polluted the air to such levels. “Our AQI measuring device is at the busiest intersection near Gobind Pura and we have observed that factors other than stubble burning are behind the poor air quality,” he said.

Shyam Lal Dhiman, who owns a furniture outlet near Kamani Chowk, said a few days ago he saw a fire engine sprinkling water along the road. “But, was it a one-time activity? The dust is a permanent feature, but no one cares,” he said.

A tea seller near the Woman Police Station on the Workshop Road said only one side of the road was carpeted outside his shop.

Nirmal Chauhan, a councillor of the municipal corporation, held the civic body responsible. She said the garbage burning was going on unabated in many areas. “Garbage is on fire for days at a site which is not even a designated dumping ground and the civic body doesn’t care,” Chauhan said.

MC commissioner Dharamveer Singh said the corporation sprinkles water in areas prone to dust problem and the garbage fire was doused when brought to the notice of the civic body.