Air pollution in Patiala reached alarming levels a day after Diwali, with the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 499 on Monday morning, November 9, placing it in the severe category. According to an AQI monitoring website cited in the report, the reading of 499 was recorded at 7:21 a.m., and the website ranked Patiala 21st among the world's most polluted cities.

Source: IANS via New Kerala

The PM2.5 concentration stood at 323 micrograms per cubic metre, while PM10 levels reached 402 micrograms per cubic metre. ReportWire, reporting the same morning readings, put the ambient temperature at 19 degrees Celsius with wind blowing at a sluggish 8.6 km/h, conditions that prevented pollutants from dispersing and kept the city's sky shrouded in smoke and fog.

Source: ReportWire

What the PPCB's Patiala district report says

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), in its official report as of November 8, recorded 288 incidents of stubble burning in Patiala district. The report stated that 96 per cent of the total 2.314 lakh hectares of paddy cultivation area in the district had been harvested. Of the 288 reported incidents, 157 fields were inspected and stubble burning was confirmed at 94 locations; three farms were identified where signs of burning fell under the non-AFL category.

Source: IANS via Hi India

Environmental compensation was imposed in 68 cases related to stubble burning, with a total penalty of Rs 3.45 lakh, of which Rs 1.25 lakh has been recovered so far. A total of 77 FIRs have been registered in connection with stubble-burning incidents in the district, red entries have been made in revenue records in 33 cases, and the authorities have issued 185 warning notices.

Source: IANS via New Kerala

An update on the district figures reported a day earlier

The new district report raises Patiala's recorded stubble-burning incidents to 288, up from the 196 incidents for the district carried in the statewide PPCB figures Awaaz Punjab reported on Sunday, when Punjab's season tally reached 3,307 cases with Tarn Taran topping the list at 623. The district enforcement figures — 94 confirmed sites, Rs 3.45 lakh in penalties, 77 FIRs, 185 notices and 33 red entries — are unchanged from that earlier report; what has changed overnight is the city's air itself, which has jumped to the top of the severe scale.

Source: IANS via New Kerala

Our earlier report on the statewide figures: Punjab stubble burning reaches 3,307 cases; Rs 60.60 lakh in fines, Tarn Taran tops with 623

Not stubble and firecrackers alone

The IANS report itself notes that the rise in pollution levels cannot be attributed solely to stubble burning or firecrackers, and that a comprehensive assessment of other pollution sources and the prevailing meteorological conditions is also necessary. What effective measures the district administration and the Pollution Control Board take next to curb pollution and provide relief to residents remains to be seen; Awaaz Punjab will update this story as official steps are announced.