Dense fog alert issued for seven districts in Punjab; stubble burning continues rampant
PTC Web Desk: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for dense fog across seven districts of Punjab on Friday and Saturday. These districts include Amritsar, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Patiala. Despite strict measures, stubble burning remains rampant, exacerbating air pollution levels.
Meanwhile, the air quality in five major cities of Punjab and Chandigarh continues to remain poor, though slight improvement has been noted. Over the past 24 hours, Punjab's maximum temperature dropped by 0.4°C, aligning closer to normal levels. Bathinda recorded the highest temperature at 28.6°C. Night temperatures also declined by 0.2°C, reaching near-normal levels.
In the early hours of Friday, Sector 53 in Chandigarh reported the worst AQI at 248, followed by Sector 25 at 161 and Sector 22 at 196. In Punjab, Mandi Gobindgarh recorded the highest pollution levels with an AQI of 273. Other cities such as Ludhiana (261), Jalandhar (235), Amritsar (231), and Patiala (213) also reported poor air quality. Ropar recorded the lowest AQI at 131, followed by Bathinda at 159.
Despite multiple initiatives to curb stubble burning, 192 new cases were reported in Punjab over the last 24 hours. Fazilka led with 42 incidents, followed by Ferozepur (38), Muktsar (22), Tarn Taran (13), Faridkot (13), and Moga (10). Other districts reported fewer cases.
Since September 15, a total of 10,296 stubble-burning cases have been reported. In comparison, the state registered 49,526 cases in 2022 and 35,606 cases in 2023 during the same period.
- PTC NEWS
