Jalandhar air quality best in a decade, AQI recorded at 52

Jalandhar With the lockdown in place, the air in the district is a lot cleaner with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 52 on Saturday, the best value recorded over the past decade, a Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) official said on Saturday. He did not want to be quoted, as he is not authorised to speak to the media. The lower the AQI the better it is. The AQI reading on Friday was 65. Since March 20, the AQI reading for the district has stayed below 80.

Before the lockdown, the district’s average daily AQI reading was between 120 and 140. An AQI of under 50 is considered to be in the “good category”, which means the air pollution poses little or no risk. While, AQI between 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, and 301-400 is very poor, while 401 and above is severe. Environmental engineer Arun Kakkar said, “The improved quality is under moderate category due to the closure of vehicles and non-plying of vehicles.”

The PPCB officials said the lockdown has also led to a reduction in the quantity of pollutants in the air. They added that the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) had dropped to 50 micrograms per cubic metre in March; this was 188 micrograms per cubic metre, on average for 2019; it was 162.5 in 2018; 172 in 2017 and 197 in 2016.