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Lucknow AQI rockets, LMC orders immediate action plan
City recorded an average AQI of 203 on Friday (falling in the very unhealthy category), while on Saturday it was recorded at 182 - still unhealthy
The district administration convened a high-level emergency meeting on Saturday and directed all departments to implement a comprehensive and immediate action plan, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the state capital deteriorating to alarming levels.
The meeting, held at the SBM Hall of the LMC brought together senior officials from departments directly linked to pollution control and enforcement.
The AQI level was reported to be 203 (in the very unhealthy category) on November 14, and on Saturday it was 182 (stilll unhealthy).
LMC environmental engineer Sanjeev Pradhan said that the major reason behind moderate and poor category is because of the broken roads, the undergoing construction work which plays an important role in the AQI.
Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar directed all officials to immediately identify pockets where AQI consistently reaches poor or severe levels. He also instructed teams to list the main pollution sources, such as construction dust, vehicular emissions, garbage burning, and road debris. A detailed action plan will be prepared for each high-risk zone, along with a list of responsible officers to ensure accountability and timely execution.
He ordered regular water sprinkling on dust-prone stretches and increased deployment of mechanised sweeping machines. He instructed departments to put additional machines into service wherever necessary. He further directed teams to remove all construction and demolition waste immediately.
He also asked the RTO and traffic police to penalise vehicles transporting sand, gravel, or soil without proper covering. All anti-smog guns installed in the city will operate more frequently on a roster-based schedule.
The Jal Kal department was instructed to redistribute its extra water tankers across different zones to support extensive water sprinkling operations. Construction sites were told to strictly follow dust-control norms, including installing green nets, conducting regular sprinkling, and keeping adjoining roads clean.
A special enforcement unit will conduct daily inspections across the city and take on-the-spot action against those violating pollution-control rules.
Top officials, including additional municipal commissioners Lalit Kumar and Pankaj Kumar Srivastava, the municipal health officer, engineers from the municipal and Jal Kal departments, zonal sanitary officers, officials from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the regional forest officer, engineers from Bridge Corporation, and other key departments, participated in the meeting.
