The air in Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh capital, has become toxic after Diwali night with Air Quality Index (AQI) being recorded at 419 on Monday-Tuesday night, falling in the “hazardous zone”.
This figure is not only the highest in the last five years but also competes with the pollution levels of metropolitan cities like Delhi.
Environment Department officials here said with a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius and wind speeds of just 4 km per hour, the pollutants are trapped in the atmosphere. The AQI was 419 on Tuesday morning while by afternoon it dropped to 190 and 195, they said.
The air quality in the Gomti Nagar, Aliganj, Lalbagh, Charbagh, and Indira Nagar areas remained in the “hazardous to health” category.
According to environment experts, heavy use of fireworks and increased vehicular emissions on the Diwali night increased the levels of PM10 and PM2.5 in the air by several times. The city recorded PM10 levels of 374 and PM2.5 levels of 284, nearly six times higher than normal limits.
On October 19, the city’s AQI was recorded at 173, the highest in the last five years.
The highest pollution in 2022 was recorded on October 27 with an AQI of 209, while the city’s air was the cleanest on October 6, 2022 (AQI 40).
According to the Meteorological Department, the night temperature was around 23 degrees Celsius and the humidity was 100%. Light winds (up to 4 km/h) trapped pollutants in the atmosphere, causing air quality to deteriorate rapidly.
Due to increased air pollution, respiratory patients faced problems.
Doctors have warned that this level of pollution is extremely dangerous for children, the elderly, and those with asthma or heart disease. They should avoid going out and use masks.