AQI at 443, Ggn gasps for breath

Chandigarh: The National Capital Region (NCR) towns of Haryana continued to grapple with air pollution, with Gurgaon recording the worst air quality index (AQI) of 443 that falls in the severe category in the state.
The AQI in rest of the NCR towns was classified as very poor.
Ballabhgarh topped the list with an AQI of 381 followed by Sonipat 378, Charkh Dadri 363, Dharuhera 356, Jind 356, Bahadurgarh 347, Manesar 341, Faridabad 337, Narnaul 316, Hisar 307 and Panipat 300.
Other towns too were not spared, with Sirsa recording an AQI of 309, Yamunanangar 278, Rohtak 268, Fatehabad 255, Bhiwani 244, Kurukshetra 243, Karnal 240, Palwal 227, Panchkula 222, Mandikhera 215 and Ambala 182.
Officials of Haryana State Pollution Control Board said that they were continuously monitoring the situation and in touch with civic bodies and deputy commissioners.
“Deputy commissioners are making efforts with the available resources. Sprinkling has been done and roads are cleaned on a regular basis. The transport department has set up check posts to impound polluting vehicles,” officials said.
Hry sees 35 farm fires
Haryana recorded 35 farm fires on Tuesday, pushing the count to 1,156. Sirsa district topped the list with 19 incidents, a repeat of the first slot it took on Monday with 17 cases. Officials in agriculture and farmers welfare department claimed that strict action has been taken against farmers as well as officials where crop residue burning incidents have been reported.