Lucknow: Burning of leaves in Kukrail forest in Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh, has led to the increase in air quality index (AQI), said U C Shukla, regional officer of UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB).
He said that the forest department staff had burnt waste, mostly leaves and twigs, in the Kukrail area in the past few days. As a result, AQI of the forested area has rapidly increased, he said, adding that as Kukrail is wooded, AQI is expected to be less than other places and a notice has been issued to the divisional forest officer asking him to put a ban on burning waste by the employees.
Besides, there are complaints of stubble burning from different areas of Lucknow, so a notice has been issued to the district agriculture officer asking him to check stubble burning.
Talkatora industrial area is highly polluted, so a notice has been issued to check pollution, Shukla further said.
Meanwhile, Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) officials said that they had begun to use smoke guns to reduce pollution levels in some areas. According to additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Singh, the LMC will use smoke guns to control pollution.
