Chandigarh: Air quality turns very poor for first time since Diwali

The Air Quality Index, an average of the readings in the past 24 hours, rose up to 320 around 3 pm in Chandigarh, before dropping below 300 in the evening, at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 22

The air quality turned very poor for the first time since Diwali in Chandigarh on Friday.

On Diwali night, the AQI in Chandigarh had gone up to 465 (severe). Meanwhile, at the other CAAQMS located in Sector 25, the AQI remained in moderate bracket (100-200). (Gurtej Singh/HT)

The Air Quality Index, an average of the readings in the past 24 hours, rose up to 320 around 3 pm, before dropping below 300 in the evening, at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 22.

In fact, the AQI had crossed the 300 mark around 1 am on Friday. It was recorded at 289 around 7 pm. An AQI of 200-300 is considered poor and can lead to breathing discomfort to most people, while that between 300 and 400 is categorised as very poor and can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure.

On Diwali night, the AQI had gone up to 465 (severe). Meanwhile, at the other CAAQMS located in Sector 25, the AQI remained in moderate bracket (100-200).

“With a new system of western disturbance arriving in the region, the northwesterly wind system that had been dispersing pollutants from the air got disturbed. Dust in the air combined with foggy conditions made the AQI go up,” said Manmohan Singh, director, Indian Meteorological Department, Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, after staying on the lower side for the past couple of days, the maximum temperature went up from Thursday’s 19°C to 25.9°C on Friday, two degrees above normal. The cloudy weather also led to an increase in the minimum temperature from 12.8°C to 14.1°C, seven notches above normal.

In the next three days, the maximum temperature is likely to stay between 22 and 25 degrees, and the minimum is likely to stay above normal, between 12 and 14 degrees.