Air connectivity restored in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: To and fro air connectivity in Chandigarh was restored on Saturday after two days of partial suspension owing to a thick haze of dust and pollution that reduced the visibility in the region, an airport official said.

Operations at the Chandigarh International Airport were resumed through there was some delay in the departure of flights, Public Relations Officer Deepesh Joshi told IANS.

He said even the international flights were also operating.

Poor visibility grounded 27 of the 30 scheduled flights, including the Shimla heli-taxi on Friday. The passengers bound for Dubai were transferred to Delhi via road.

Meanwhile, the weather turned pleasant and the visibility improved on Saturday morning as Chandigarh and its nearby areas in Punjab and Haryana were lashed by overnight rains, bringing much relief from the haze of dust and pollution.

However, the sky remained overcast with chances of more showers later in the day.

In the past two days, Chandigarh and surrounding areas witnessed a dusty weather throughout the day with poor visibility.

The city saw the highest ever concentration of PM2.5, a fine pollutant that can reach the lungs directly.

A Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee observatory measured PM2.5 at 572 microgram per cubic metre of air on an average on Friday morning. On Thursday, it was 360 microgram per cubic metre.

The normal value of PM2.5 is 60 microgram per cubic metre for a 24-hour period.

Experts at the observatory said it was the highest ever in the city.