Chandigarh says no to crackers, sees AQI at 140

Chandigarh, Nov 15 : With Chandigarh saying no to crackers, the city on Sunday saw AQI at 140 against 341 on last Diwali, officials said.
Thanking the residents for cracker-free Diwali on Saturday, the local administration said it was committed to provide a pollution-free environment, and an air action plan is being implemented in the city to reduce the air pollution.
Keeping in view the need to check the spread of Covid-19 pandemic and to avoid inconvenience to affected persons and persons with other respiratory issues, the administration had banned the sale and bursting of crackers.
The ambient air quality data collected for the city is the testimony to the fact that the citizens of Chandigarh stood to the occasion for the cause of health and environment, the administration said in a statement.
The results indicated that there was remarkable reduction in air pollution in comparison to last year despite the fact that last year, Diwali was on October 27, when the air pollution is comparatively less than November, it said.
From the data captured from the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS), it is observed that there is drastic reduction in AQI (Air Quality Index) from 341 (very poor) in 2019 to 140 (moderate) in 2020.