Chandigarh’s Alarming Pollution Crisis: A Dire Need for Rain and Wind to Clear the Air

Saptrishi Soni

In a surprising and concerning turn, Chandigarh has become the second most polluted city in India, just one step behind the most polluted, marking an unprecedented environmental crisis for the city. Traditionally, after Diwali, pollution hotspots across North India like Delhi, Noida, and Meerut are in the spotlight due to smog and degraded air quality. But this time, Chandigarh finds itself trapped in a relentless blanket of pollution that has refused to clear for the past six days. Experts indicate that without rain or strong winds reaching speeds of 25 to 35 kilometers per hour, the city is unlikely to see relief, as current forecasts predict no rain and minimal wind movement in the coming 10 days.

The severity of the situation was underscored when Chandigarh’s air quality index (AQI) spiked to 343 on Tuesday—the worst in the last five days. While Delhi’s AQI stood slightly lower at 334, Chandigarh struggled to escape the top rankings of the country’s most polluted cities. Out of 261 cities monitored, only four were marked with extreme pollution levels, and only Hajipur recorded an AQI worse than Chandigarh.

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has tried to address the issue with measures such as sprinkling water at certain locations to mitigate dust, but these efforts have had negligible effect in the face of such overwhelming pollution. The root of this prolonged pollution lies not only in external factors like crop residue burning but also in unique atmospheric conditions, as experts note. The unusually long dry spell combined with exceptionally low wind speeds of 3 to 10 kilometers per hour has created a blanket of cold air that traps pollution particles, resulting in poor air dispersion. This stagnant layer of air acts almost like a lid, preventing pollutants from dispersing and allowing them to accumulate closer to ground level.

As daytime temperatures rise, some pollution is lifted away, but as the afternoon cools around 3 PM, pollutants that had risen begin to descend due to the increasing humidity. The effect is a worsening of air quality, as pollutants settle closer to the ground in the evening, contributing to night-time and early morning peaks in pollution levels. With pollution particulates like PM2.5 and PM10 settling in, the AQI across the city remains at hazardous levels, especially impacting respiratory health.

The situation highlights the urgent need for sustainable interventions to address pollution sources in and around Chandigarh. Environmentalists argue that the government needs to intensify its measures to counter such crises. Given that these conditions were exacerbated by prolonged dry weather and stagnant winds, there’s also a growing call for city-specific emergency pollution protocols, especially considering the adverse health effects and increased pressure on healthcare facilities. Many are calling for stricter regulations on industrial emissions, vehicle restrictions on high-pollution days, and large-scale plantation drives to tackle the air quality issue.

While authorities work to find immediate solutions, residents have been advised to limit outdoor activities and use protective measures to reduce exposure to pollutants. But with climate change and irregular weather patterns predicted to make such events more common, proactive, long-term measures from both the government and citizens will be essential to prevent Chandigarh—and other Indian cities—from facing such hazardous levels of pollution in the future.

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