AQI level recorded at 235 on Diwali night in Amritsar

Neha Saini

Amritsar, November 13

The Air Quality Index (AQI) for Amritsar on Diwali went down several notches this year with a maximum of 235 for Diwali night and 170 recorded the morning after. This is an improvement over the last two years when the AQI for Diwali night was recorded in the range of 250-282.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) today released the official data for Air Quality Index reported for a window of 24 hours from the day of Diwali to a day after. The PPCB had installed Continuous Ambient Air Quality (CAAQMS) monitoring stations in Amritsar as part of its initiative to monitor air quality in six major cities of Punjab that had been recording worse air quality over the last few years during the Diwali season. Overall, Punjab has observed an average AQI reduction of 7.6 per cent over the last year (2022) and 22.8 per cent as compared to 2021.

Addressing the development, Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer also said that the AQI of five cities — Amritsar, Ludhiana, Khanna, Mandi Gobindgarh and Patiala — have observed a reduction in AQI during this Diwali (2023) as compared to the last two year’s Diwali days (2022, 2021). The average AQI of Punjab this Diwali was 207 (which is marginally higher than the maximum AQI value of 200 for the moderate category) as compared to 224 in 2022 and 268 in 2021.

Meet Hayer said that the maximum was recorded in Amritsar this year with an AQI value of 235. Also, last year, the maximum value of AQI (262) was observed in Amritsar. In 2021, the AQI in city had hit 302 and in 2020, it was recorded at 386.

While the PPCB termed the overall improvement in AQI as a community effort, the current levels of AQI still count as unhealthy. The city was listed, along with Ludhiana and Jalandhar, in the non-attainment cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which means the holy city does not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Amritsar Municipal Corporation received Rs 19 crore to improve air quality in the city under NCAP and make city-specific action plan, which included checking industrial/vehicular emissions, installing air monitoring systems, air purifiers and creating public awareness regarding air quality control. While the action plan was tabled, it never reached the implementation stage.