With winter approaching, Lucknow’s air quality is showing signs of deterioration, with the city recording just one ‘good’ air day so far in October, while pollution levels at one monitoring station have already crossed into the ‘poor’ category.
The readings indicate that pollution levels are beginning to rise unevenly across the city, with some locations experiencing worse air quality than others. Experts attribute the seasonal deterioration partly to changing weather conditions. Lower temperatures and reduced atmospheric mixing can hinder the dispersion of pollutants, allowing dust and other particulate matter to remain suspended in the air for longer periods. With winter yet to set in fully, the emerging trend raises concerns about the possibility of further deterioration in the coming weeks.
Of the 24 days recorded this month until October 24, the city experienced one day with ‘good’ air quality, 12 days in the ‘satisfactory’ category and 11 days with ‘moderate’ air quality. The city’s PM2.5 concentration was recorded at 144 on October 24, reflecting elevated particulate pollution. Data from six monitoring stations showed that Kendriya Vidyalaya recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 201, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. Talkatora followed with an AQI of 166, while Gomti Nagar recorded 148 and Lalbagh 144. Kukrail picnic spot recorded an AQI of 101, at the lower end of the ‘moderate’ category. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies AQI levels of 0–50 as ‘good’, 51–100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 as ‘moderate’, 201–300 as ‘poor’, 301–400 as ‘very poor’ and above 400 as ‘severe’.
The trend marks a shift from September, when air quality remained largely in the good and satisfactory categories, according to data.
