At AQI 439, Bahadurgarh is breathing worst air in country

With this, even after nearly a month since Diwali, several cities and towns in Haryana continue to grapple with poor air quality. Amid the persisting pollution, the administration in Rohtak has offered students up to class 5 the option of attending online classes. In contrast, the district police administration in Jind has suspended ten policemen for allegedly failing to control incidents of stubble burning.

According to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 4 pm on Sunday for the past 24 hours, Sonipat (370), Gurgaon (305), Fatehabad (336), Bhiwani (325) and Dharuhera (302) recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) in the ‘very poor’ category.

Other towns and cities placed in the ‘poor’ AQI bracket included Ambala (294), Ballabhgarh (219), Charkhi Dadri (282), Faridabad (257), Jind (273), Dharuhera (261), Kurukshetra (207), Manesar (260), Narnaul (249), Rohtak (246) and Yamunanagar (244). Chandigarh, the state capital, recorded an AQI of 104. Cities such as Hisar (166), Kaithal (138), Karnal (170), Panchkula (144) and Sirsa (104) also fell into this category. Palwal, at 82, recorded a ‘satisfactory’ AQI.

On Sunday, the Rohtak district administration decided to allow hybrid classes for children up to class 5. In an order, the deputy commissioner noted that the AQI in Rohtak had remained in the ‘very poor’ category for several days. The order stated: “In the interest of the health and the safety of the children, it has been decided that classes in schools for children up to class 5 will be conducted in a hybrid mode that is physical and online mode (wherever online mode is feasible) in the district of Rohtak. The option to exercise the online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians.” The state government has already authorised deputy commissioners to take decisions regarding classes for students up to class 5, depending on the prevailing pollution levels.
Meanwhile, Jind Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh suspended 10 policemen for failing to control stubble burning in their areas. On November 12, Jind’s AQI was found in the ‘severe’ category at 418. The town has otherwise consistently recorded ‘very poor’ AQI levels—313 on November 14, 333 on November 13, 376 on November 11, 355 on November 10, and 302 on November 9.

On Sunday, Jind reported 15 cases of stubble burning, the highest among 22 districts. Across the state, 46 cases were reported, including eight in Rohtak. On Saturday, only 13 cases had been recorded in the state.
So far, 563 cases of stubble burning have been reported in Haryana during the current paddy season. A senior officer of the State Pollution Control Board remarked that the number is significantly lower than last year. “Till November 14 this season as many as 503 cases were recorded while this number was 1035 during the corresponding period in 2024. We are trying to bring down the stubble burning cases to zero,” the officer said.

The officer explained, “Due to a large number of marriages during these days, the movement of vehicles has increased which is not only causing vehicle pollution but also causing dust. Industrial pollution is also a contributing factor. Currently, there is no movement of air which is not leading to scattering of the dust in the environment. We expect a reduction in the air pollution once the air starts moving.”

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