No ‘good air’ in Lucknow for over a month now
LUCKNOW : For over a month now, Lucknow has not breathed good air even a single day. Most of the days in November either recorded ‘poor’ or ‘moderate’ air quality (AQI). The last time when the city recorded a ‘good air day’ was on October 11 with an AQI reading of 43, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
For the unversed, an AQI level between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 is ‘moderate’, 201300 is ‘poor’, 301-400 is ‘very poor’, and 401-500 is ‘severe’.
In November, 12 days saw ‘poor’ AQI (crossing the 200 mark) whereas 17 days recorded ‘moderate’ AQI (ranging between 100 and 200). The highest was 290 on November 4. Not a single day in November recorded ‘good’ AQI. This is more than double as compared to October, when only six days saw ‘poor’ AQI.
On Tuesday, Lucknow’s AQI was recorded at 264, the second highest after November 4. The pollution control board has installed five monitoring stations in the city, according to which Talkatora industrial area remained the most polluted with an AQI of 365, followed by Lalbagh (330), Central School (287), Kukrail 194, and Gomti Nagar (150). According to UC Shukla, regional officer, UPPCB, the air pollution in the city and other parts of UP will remain the same, and may worsen in the days to come as the mercury drops.
“Because of the low temperature, the pressure is high, preventing PM2.5 and PM10 from flying higher. If traffic in the city is not controlled, the situation will deteriorate,” he added.
Two bridge construction companies on ring road have been served notices and face a fine of Rs 31 lakh for violating pollution norms.
“The letter is sent to the CPCB, and after their approval, the penalty will be imposed on them,” he added.