Chandigarh, Dec 6: Chandigarh’s air quality slipped back into the poor category on Friday as falling temperatures trapped pollutants near the surface, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. The city recorded an AQI of 213, based on 4 p.m. readings from its three automated monitoring stations.
Officials said the deterioration comes after nearly a month of moderate to satisfactory air quality across the region. In comparison, neighbouring Panchkula reported a satisfactory AQI of 97 on Friday, while Delhi registered a very poor level of 327.
IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said the sudden decline was driven by a temperature inversion that prevented pollutants from dispersing. “Sliding temperature leads to concentration of pollutants increasing and a drop in air quality,” Paul said.
He added that northwesterly winds over the past month had kept pollution in check. “Those cold northwesterlies stopped the pollutants from collecting. But with a fresh Western Disturbance moving in, those winds have weakened,” he said. While no rainfall is expected, he noted the system would push warmer westerly winds into the region over the weekend, offering some respite from the cold.
The city recorded a minimum temperature of 6.1°C on Friday, slightly lower than Thursday’s 6.3°C and 4.5 degrees below normal—marking the second cold wave day this season. On Wednesday, the minimum had dropped to 5.4°C. The IMD considers a cold wave in the region when the minimum falls below 10°C and stays 4.5°C to 6.4°C below normal.
Despite the cold mornings, the maximum temperature rose from 22.3°C on Thursday to 23.9°C on Friday, but remained 1.5°C below normal. Meteorologists said daytime temperatures are likely to settle between 25°C and 26°C over the next three days, with night temperatures expected to hover between 8°C and 9°C.
