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Its farm fires blamed for the alarming spike in air pollution levels in Delhi in October and November, Punjab breathed easy Saturday with one of its cities, Khanna, finding a place in the 10 cities across country with cleanest air.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) of Khanna was recorded at 44, classifying its air quality as “good”. The city in Ludhiana was placed at eight spot among 243 cities in the country where AQI is calculated. Thiruvananthpuram with an AQI of 24 led the list of the top 10, which had Srinagar (AQI of 40) as the only other city from north India.
Meanwhile, a majority of cities in Punjab and Haryana reported “satisfactory” and “moderate” AQI levels. However, people of Delhi continue to breath bad air which recorded an AQI of 220, indicating “poor” air quality on the eve of Diwali.
According to the CPCB, seven cities in Punjab showed “satisfactory” to “moderate” AQI levels. Jalandhar led with an AQI close to “good” at 52, followed by Ludhiana (53), Patiala (61), Bathinda (69), Amritsar (107), Mandi Gobindgarh (145), and Chandigarh (118).
In Haryana, Hisar had the cleanest air with an AQI of 66, followed by Fatehabad (68), Sirsa (70), Jind (73), Rohtak (74), Kaithal (86), Sonipat (87), Karnal (98), and Charkhi Dadri (94), all within the “satisfactory” AQI level. However, Kurukshetra (101), Bahadurgarh (123), Panipat (130), Yamuna Nagar (135), Panchkula (139), Faridabad (167), and Gurugram (199) reported “moderate” AQI levels.
Union Territory Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, saw an AQI of 110. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’
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Meanwhile, the total number of farm fire cases in Punjab reached 23,730 to date, with 104 reported on Saturday including 43 in Sangrur, 22 in Mansa, and 13 in Fazilka, according to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). Due to rain, there were no farm fires on November 9. Only six cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab on Friday as rains lashed many parts of the state. Last year, by this date, the state had recorded 40,677 farm fire cases, including 3,916 on November 11, 2022, as per the PPCB data.
Also, rain caused a delay in harvesting (around 20%), especially in the Malwa region, where farmers cultivate long-duration varieties like PUSA 44, Peeli PUSA, and Dogar PUSA. With the remaining paddy expected to be harvested by November 15, farmers may face challenges managing the crop residue which could pave the way for an increase in farm fires.
According to Punjab government’s estimates, the state is expecting to procure 19 million tonnes of paddy this year out of which around 15 million tonnes has already been bought.
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