Haryana’s Dharuhera sees worst air quality in the country

Haryana saw a marginal improvement in air quality, though six of its cities continued to feature among the country’s 10 most polluted.

Two days after Diwali celebrations, Haryana saw a marginal improvement in air quality, though six of its cities continued to feature among the country’s 10 most polluted.

A traffic policeman wears a mask as he manages traffic amid low visibility after air quality deteriorated across northern India, in Gurugram on Wednesday. (PTI)

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Dharuhera in Rewari district recorded the worst air quality in India on Wednesday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 379, placing it in the “very poor” category. The industrial town, which had ranked second a day earlier, was in the “severe” category then. In comparison, Delhi’s AQI stood at 353.

The AQI measures air quality on a scale of 0 to 500, with six categories—good (0–50, dark green), satisfactory (51–100, green), moderate (101–200, yellow), poor (201–300, orange), very poor (301–400, red), and severe (above 401, maroon).

Several cities in Haryana recorded “very poor” air quality: Rohtak (349), Narnaul (332), Charkhi Dadri (331), Bhiwani (331), Yamunanagar (320), Jind (319), Ambala (312), and Fatehabad (305).

Meanwhile, air quality in other areas such as Manesar (296), Ballabgarh (295), Gurugram (281), Bahadurgarh (269), Panchkula (268), Kurukshetra (259), Panipat (259), Karnal (245), Kaithal (231) and Faridabad (201) remained in the “poor” category.

On the positive side, stubble burning incidents continued to decline. Only three farm fire cases were reported across the state on the day—two in Fatehabad and one in Palwal—bringing the season’s total to 58. This marks an 87% reduction compared to the 665 cases recorded during the same period last year.