Delhi air quality enters very poor category as stubble fire row continues
Air quality levels deteriorated across the National Capital Region and parts of Punjab and Haryana, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.
Air quality across the National Capital Region (NCR) fell into the very poor category on Monday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data reported by The Times of India. Data from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) showed Delhi's PM 2.5 level at 350, which is classified as very poor.
In Haryana, Bahadurgarh and Gurgaon both recorded very poor air quality with levels of 324 and 305 respectively. Other towns including Ambala, Rohtak, Sirsa, Charkhi Dadri and Hissar reported poor air quality, while Kurukshetra, Yamuna Nagar and Sonepat remained in the moderate category.
Punjab recorded air quality levels ranging from moderate to poor. Khanna recorded the worst air quality in the state at 293, followed by Ludhiana at 212 and Patiala at 208. Jalandhar and Mandi Gobindgarh reported moderate air, while Chandigarh recorded satisfactory levels at 76.
The pollution metrics have led to political friction. Delhi BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa attributed the worsening air quality in Delhi to farm fires in Punjab. AAP Punjab general secretary Baltej Singh Pannu refuted this, claiming stubble-burning incidents in Punjab have dropped significantly.
In Punjab, Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts accounted for 681 of the 1,612 total stubble-burning incidents reported across the state up to November 2. Amritsar recorded a moderate PM 2.5 level of 116.
