E-Paper
Diwali woes: Air quality in 8 U.P. cities ‘very poor’; worst yet to come, say environmentalists
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality in eight U.P. cities remained ‘very poor’ on Sunday as they recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 200.
Lucknow: Even as Delhi is yet again making the headlines for the surge in toxicity in the air ahead of Diwali, many Uttar Pradesh cities, including the state capital, reported a similar situation of deteriorating air quality.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality in eight U.P. cities remained ‘very poor’ on Sunday as they recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 200. Bulandshahr hit the peak with an AQI of 310, said to be the worst in the entire country.
Muzaffarnagar recorded an AQI of 280, followed by Meerut (274), Ghaziabad (270), Kanpur (266), Noida (236), Hapur (230) and Baghpat (227).
In Lucknow, the AQI rose to an average of 163, which can cause discomfort to people with lung and heart disorders. The pollution control board has installed five monitoring stations across the city. According to them, the Talkatora area recorded the highest AQI of 184, followed by 176 at Lalbagh, 156 at Gomti Nagar, 153 at Central School and 151 on Raibareli Road on Sunday.
U P Tripathi, an environmentalist, expressed concerns over the worsening AQI: “The air quality will worsen after Diwali. As the morning after Diwali is extremely polluted, we, environmentalists, urge all to skip their morning walk sessions over the next few days. It is also crucial for the elders and people who have recovered from Covid.”
Hemlata Sharma, 84, president of Exnora, an NGO that works on environment conservation, said: “I will skip morning walks for the next few days. I’ve also asked other people of my age group to stay at home.”
According to a research conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute and experts from IIT Kanpur, poor road infrastructure and construction sites contributed to 80-87 per cent of air pollution in the state capital.
