Ghaziabad chokes as AQI plunges to ‘severe’ again

New Delhi: The level of air pollution in Ghaziabad on Friday took a turn for the worse with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 414, which falls in the ‘severe’ category, said Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Residents complained of breathlessness and fatigue while moving about outdoors in the morning and urged the government to take requisite measures to deal with the problem.

“My eyes were itching while I was jogging in the morning. Garbage burning is also a major issue here. A thick blanket of smog covers our ground in the morning,” said a resident of the city.

Another Ghaziabad resident, Lovely Sharma, said that she feels suffocated while running in the playground.” I request the government to take necessary action and also conduct an investigation about the burning of garbage.”

However, in Noida, air quality improved slightly today. At 9 in the morning, the AQI docked at 379, with PM 2.5 at 379 and PM 10 at 304.

In the national capital, in several places, the AQI was in a ‘very poor’ zone while in some congested areas such as Wazirpur and ITO, the air quality plunged to the ‘severe’ category.

The pollution control board and Uttar Pradesh government have issued guidelines to reduce air pollution in the region.

They have urged people to adopt clean technology in the manufacture of biogas, energy, compost, electricity, building materials (bricks, cement, tiles, plasterboards, etc.) and other products by recycling waste and fly ash generated from industries and other sources.

Transport drivers have been directed to properly maintain their vehicles and keep checking the carburetor and emissions from time to time.

“In place of chemical fertilizers, adopt organic fertilizers, Burmese compost, green manure, organic culture, compost, fertilizer and leguminous crops,” the advisory read.