Summary:
PATIALA: With the ambient air quality in Punjab showing no signs of improvement for the third consecutive day, the Punjab Pollution Control Board has issued fresh advisory to the people. The PPCB stated that it was a natural phenomenon where ambient air quality had deteriorated to a point which was affecting human beings, animals and plants alike.It said all construction activities, including carpeting of roads, should be stopped.The board has also asked people to transport sand in covered trolleys and avoid staying out in the open for long. Sportspersons, walkers and senior citizens have been advised to avoid heavy physical activity, especially in the open, until the weather returns to normal.The advisory further states that asthmatic, heart, eyes, skin patients must remain indoors and parents have been asked not to let their children play outside. The people are further advised not to travel long distances in open trolleys and trucks.The board said as per the latest predictions made by the meteorological department, the western disturbances were approaching northern India and rainfall is expected in a day or two which would clear the haze and dust giving relief to the people.On Friday, the ambient air quality reflected figures that showed PM10 and PM 2.5 readings were five-six times higher than the normal value of 100 micrograms per cubic metre. AQI of Ludhiana was recorded at 443 micrograms per cubic metre, Amritsar at 454, Mandi Gobindgarh at 440, Khanna at 389, Patiala at 403 and Ropar at 417.Only the PM10 and PM2.5 pollutants pushed the air quality into the severe category as the readings of other polluting gases were found to be within the permissible limits.At Amritsar, the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were recorded at 19 micrograms per cubic metre, ammonia (NH3) was recorded at 2 micrograms per cubic metre, and sulphur dioxide (SO2) was found to be 8 micrograms per cubic metre.At Khanna, NO2 level was at 8 micrograms per cubic metre, NH3 was at 3 micrograms per cubic metre and SO2 was recorded at micrograms per cubic metre.At Ludhiana, NO2 was 25 micrograms per cubic metre, NH3 was 2 micrograms per cubic metre and SO2 was 27 micrograms per cubic metre.At Mandi Gobindgarh, NO2 was 6 micrograms per cubic metre and NH3 was 4 micrograms per cubic metre.While at Patiala, NO2 was recorded at 20 micrograms per cubic metre, NH3 was micrograms per cubic metre and SO2 was 5 micrograms per cubic metre..