TNNChandigarh: Air quality in Chandigarh deteriorated on Friday, with the air quality index (AQI) rising to 117 and moving into the moderate category. The reading marked a rise of 29 points from Thursday’s AQI of 88, indicating a fresh deterioration after two consecutive days of satisfactory air quality.The city’s AQI stood at 103 at 4pm, while the latest reading, updated at 9.05pm, showed 117. The PM10 was identified as the predominant pollutant on Friday.The city’s AQI had remained in the satisfactory range on Nov 11 and 12, recording 89 and 88 respectively. However, the latest rise pushed it back into the moderate category. The AQI had also touched 148 on Nov 9 and 150 on Nov 10, before improving over the next two days.The city recorded AQI readings below 100 on eight of the first 13 days of the month, while pollution levels crossed the 100-mark on five days. The lowest reading during this period was 70 on Nov 6.As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) advisory, the prevailing air quality could cause breathing discomfort among people with lung disorders, asthma and heart diseases. Children, elderly people and those with existing respiratory conditions are also advised to exercise caution during periods of deteriorating air quality.“With the onset of winter and changing weather conditions, air quality is likely to remain a concern in the coming weeks,” said a UT official.
