PPCB officials in Jalandhar have identified three zones as residential, commercial and sensitive where respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) devices were installed on Monday to measure the level of air pollution.

The process to monitor the pollution level will be held from the local civil hospital which comes under sensitive zone, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar (residential area) and Lal Rattan cinema market (commercial area).

Moreover, a team of officials with a dB (decibel) meter will go to various areas, including hospitals, educational institutions and religious places from 7 pm to 12 pm on Diwali to check the noise pollution level.

A PPCB team had conducted a survey on Dussehra in Chhhoti Baradari locality and found increase in noise pollution from permissible limits.

Chhoti Baradari falls in a residential area where permissible pollution limit is 55 decibels (dB). But the PPCB noticed between 94 dB to 102 dB noise level when the effigies were burnt.

In last five years, three zones in the city in terms of respirable suspended particulate matter concentration have performed worse as microgram-per-cubicmetre was noticed much higher than the permissible limit of 100.

Likewise, against the permissible limit of 55 (dB), the noise pollution level in residential areas here in the past few years varied between 75 dB to 110 dB.

The PPCB has already been trying hard to raise awareness among residents to promote eco-friendly Diwali so that increasing air and noise pollution can be brought down.

Amid widespread use of fire crackers on Diwali and a day before, level of sulphur dioxide, which results in increase of asthma patients, usually goes up.

PPCB superintending engineer Najar Singh said, “We are trying our level best to create awareness among residents to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali and save the environment. We appeal to people to take care of the environment by not bursting fireworks on Diwali.