Chandigarh continues to choke as air quality plummets to ‘severe’
Chandigarh was the fifth most polluted city in the country as per the bulletin, with an average AQI of 372 at 4 pm; Delhi at 418, Hajipur (Bihar) at 417, Saharsa (Bihar) at 379, and Bhiwani (Haryana) at 375 were more polluted than Chandigarh
For the first time this season, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city crossed 400 on Wednesday going into the ‘severe’ category in parts of the city. Wednesday evening was the most polluted day of the year till now, with a higher AQI than even Diwali night.
The AQI at 7pm on Wednesday shot up to 414 at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) Sector 22 and was 410 at CAAQMS Sector 53. Both are in the ‘severe’ category. Meanwhile, the AQI was 327 in Sector 25, still in the ‘very poor’ bracket. At 7pm, the AQI was 384 in Chandigarh. However, with smog, Delhi has become worse than Chandigarh again and AQI was 446 there. On Diwali night, AQI was highest at Sector 22 where it shot up to 395 while it was 341 at Sector 25 and 350 at Sector 53.
Chandigarh was the fifth most polluted city in the country as per the bulletin, with an average AQI of 372 at 4 pm. Delhi at 418, Hajipur (Bihar) at 417, Saharsa (Bihar) at 379, and Bhiwani (Haryana) at 375 were more polluted than Chandigarh.
A hazy layer of smog was visible throughout the day. At 8.30 am, visibility was just 700 metres at the India meteorological department (IMD) and 400 metres at the airport observatory. Visibility remained poor throughout the day, and at 5.30 pm it was still at 700 metres. From 200 to 500 metres visibility, fog is called moderate fog as per the IMD. The visibility below 200 metres is dense fog. The same scale is used for smog.
IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul confirmed that this is indeed smog. “Fog in November is uncommon, especially when the temperature is still above average like this season. Usually, we see fog in December which also starts late at night or in the early morning. Fog during the day is usually only observed around the time of peak winters.”
Talking about the formation of the fog, he said that due to the effect of a western disturbance (WD) touching the north of the country along with a low-pressure area, humidity of the region is increasing. “Pollutants are already present in the air and water vapour causes their concentration to increase and form a canopy over the city,” he added.
There is some hope for the city in the coming days, after the WD system passes. “While it is too early to say, it seems likely that north westerly winds will again start blowing around the weekend. These winds are not very strong, but it will provide some relief and help scatter pollutants in the coming days.”
CPCC monitoring the situation
Meanwhile, Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) will monitor the situation in the coming days as per member secretary TC Nautiyal. While a Graded Response Action Plan for ‘very poor’ air quality was put into place on Monday, another plan may have to be prepared now as the air quality has crossed into ‘severe’.
Nautiyal said that as per the protocol, the AQI has to remain ‘severe’ for at least two days, and as per forecast there should be no scope of improvement in the next two days as well for the reforms to be scaled up. Currently, agencies like the municipal corporation have been tasked to carry out water sprinkling in the city. Declaring holidays for schools can be the next step in this.
Talking about the compliance for the GRAP regulations, Nautiyal said that agencies are all doing their part, but improving the AQI has no quick-fix solution, and it can take a few days for their efforts to reflect in lower AQI levels.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature fell from 27.1°C on Tuesday to 25.3°C on Wednesday. Minimum temperature fell from 16.9°C on Tuesday to 16.8°C on Wednesday. In the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain around 25°C and minimum temperature will remain around 17°C.
Flight ops hit
Flight operations at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, were hit due to smog on Wednesday. An Air India flight 2654 from Chandigarh to Bombay got delayed for 2 hours 32 minutes. The flight was scheduled to departure at 9 am but it left from Chandigarh international airport at 11.32 am. A few other flights got delayed by a few minutes.
Smog hits visibility
A hazy layer of smog was visible throughout the day. At 8.30 am, visibility was just 700 metres at the IMD and 400 metres at the airport observatory. Visibility remained poor throughout the day, and at 5.30 pm it was still at 700 metres.
UT issues health advisory
Avoid preferably places with high air pollution like roads with slow & heavy traffic, areas near polluting industries, construction-demolition sites.
Avoid outdoor morning and late evening walk, run, jog and physical exercise. Do not open external doors and windows during morning and late evening hours
Avoid use of room fresheners, it has ill-effects as it consumes O2 in vicinity very fast.
Do not smoke cigarettes, bidis and related tobacco products.
Keep washing your eyes with running water regularly and do regular gargles with warm water.
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