Lucknow experienced another day of deteriorating air quality on Monday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 205, marking the second consecutive day in the ‘poor’ category. By evening, a dense layer of smog had spread across the city as pollution levels surged.
Meteorologists have warned that the smog is likely to intensify in the coming days due to a further drop in temperature, which typically traps pollutants closer to the ground.
On Sunday, the AQI was recorded at 208—also in the ‘poor’ range—while Saturday’s air quality had been comparatively better, falling under the ‘moderate’ category with an AQI of 161.
Air quality monitoring stations reported alarming PM2.5 concentrations at six locations, with readings surpassing 300 micrograms per cubic metre—over five times the permissible limit of 60 micrograms. The highest average PM2.5 level was 363 micrograms at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Aliganj, followed by 322 at BBAU near Shaheed Path, 302 in Gomtinagar, and 180 at the Kukrail picnic spot. PM10 levels at the same locations were recorded at double the acceptable threshold of 100 micrograms per cubic metre.
Environmental expert and associate professor Alfred Lawrence of Isabella Thoburn College highlighted vehicular emissions as the primary source of the rising pollution.
He added that traffic congestion and ongoing construction activities further aggravate air quality.
Lawrence suggested urgent action, including water sprinkling to reduce dust, covering construction sites with green nets, and improving traffic flow, to manage the rapidly increasing pollution levels.
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