Ludhiana: There has been little respite for Ludhiana residents from polluted air this Nov. The city recorded an AQI of 275 Thursday, remaining in the ‘poor’ category and taking the number of days with poor or worse air to 11 in the first 12 days of the month.According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, an AQI of 201-300 falls in the ‘poor’ category and can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.Nov 4 has so far been the only relatively better day this month, when Ludhiana recorded an AQI of 150, putting it in the ‘moderate’ category. On 10 of the 12 days, the AQI remained ‘poor’, while Nov 10 saw it deteriorate to 314, in the ‘very poor’ category.Thursday’s AQI of 275 was also the second-highest among the Punjab cities listed in the data, behind Bathinda at 328. Jalandhar recorded 207, Khanna 235 and Patiala 224. Rupnagar, at 42, had the cleanest air among the cities listed.The Nov 10 reading of 314 is Ludhiana’s highest so far this year. Over the previous two years, the city had touched 339 on Nov 2, 2024, while the highest reading in 2025 was 278 on Oct 22.PPCB sources said improvement in air quality would depend on favourable weather conditions, particularly rain or stronger winds that could help disperse pollutants. They also cited firecrackers as a major contributor to pollution.The prolonged spell of polluted air is beginning to tell on residents.Kuldeep Singh, a resident, said children and elderly people were particularly affected. Besides breathing discomfort, residents were experiencing a burning sensation in their eyes, he said.A homemaker from Dugri said she had stopped allowing her daughter to go outside to play in the evenings because of the polluted air. She said the family was hoping for rain or winds to provide some relief.
