category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU Chandigarh Punjab has observed an average air quality index (AQI) reduction of 7.6 per cent from the last year and 22.8 per cent as compared to 2021 on Diwali, said state Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Monday. Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has installed continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) in six cities -- Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Khanna, Mandi Gobindgarh and Patiala -- to monitor the ambient air quality on a real-time basis. The comparative level of AQI value during this Diwali vis-a-vis previous years of Diwali in 2022 and 2021 has been improved. Diwali this year was celebrated on November 12. The values are based on the data from 7 am on the day of Diwali to 6 am, the next day after the festival of lights. The minister said the AQI of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Khanna, Mandi Gobindgarh and Patiala have observed a reduction this year compared to the last two years. The average AQI of Punjab this Diwali was 207, which is marginally higher than the maximum AQI value of 200 for the moderate category. In 2022, it was to 224 and 268 in 2021. The minister said the maximum AQI of 235 was recorded in Amritsar this year. Last year it was 262. In 2021, the maximum AQI of 327, which falls in the very poor category, was observed in Jalandhar. The minimum AQI for this year was recorded in Mandi Gobindgarh at 153 against the last year s value of 188. In 2021, AQI of the town was 220. The maximum AQI reduction this year was 18.6 per cent. The pollution control board thanked the people for following the advisory for bursting firecrackers and using the green crackers. (editor dailyworld.in)