Lucknow’s air quality index improves right before festivities

WARNING Air quality may soon turn ‘very poor’ due to cracker bursting, says official

The air quality of the state capital improved on Saturday, providing residents a much-needed respite before the Diwali festivities on Sunday.

HT Image

The average air quality index (AQI) of Lucknow, according to the data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), was a ‘moderate’ 155 -- around 100 points lower than the average AQI recorded in October.

“AQI above 300 is categorised as ‘very poor’ and is considered harmful for human health on prolonged exposure,” said Ram Karan, regional officer of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB).

He credited the improved AQI to the westerly winds that blew in the region on Saturday morning.

Despite the slight improvement, he warned people to take precautions, as the AQI was expected to drop in the coming days.

“Lucknow’s AQI may turn very poor in the coming days due to increased emissions caused by burning of firecrackers. People must take precautions to avoid any harm caused by this poor quality air,” said the officer.

On Saturday evening, AQI of 252 was recorded in Talkatora, 146 in Lalbagh and 145 in Aliganj. “PM 2.5 remained the biggest pollutant in the state capital,” said Ram Karan.

Ghaziabad, which falls in the National Capital Region, recorded the worst air quality in UP with an average AQI of 303. Meanwhile, the AQI in Agra and Varanasi were recorded at ‘satisfactory’ levels of 73 and 78 respectively.

“We are keeping an eye on the AQI of various areas. As soon as the index crosses the 300 mark, we alert our locals officials and the respective district administration, so that they can inform the general public about it,” said Ram Karan.

“For this, we have made arrangements for regularly collecting AQI data at all our monitoring stations,” he added.