Air quality in Punjab deteriorates as firecrackers norms flouted

Despite having set a window to burst firecrackers between 8 pm and 10 pm, the state has witnessed these norms being flouted combined with over a thousand farm fires in the season so far.

Farm fires combined with people bursting firecrackers have caused the AQI to drop to the category of poor.

With 1,019 instances recorded from Punjab, Diwali night saw the season’s greatest number of field fires. Each of the districts of Tarn Taran, Patiala, and Gurdaspur recorded more than 100 farm fires.

In the coming 10 days, the harvest will be in full flow, which will result in a rise in the number.

Typically, farmers don’t start a fire in the stubble until the nearby fields’ crops have been harvested as well.

The state has experienced 5,617 farm fires so far this year as of Monday night.

Amritsar had an AQI of 261, Ludhiana 262, Jalandhar 234, and Patiala 226 on Tuesday morning.

The joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh, in the Union Territory, with an AQI of 178.

An AQI of 0 to 50 is considered to be acceptable, 101 to 200 satisfactory, 201 to 300 bad, 301 to 400 very poor, and 401 to 500 severe.