Air pollution is one of the most pressing issues of Punjab. An interesting point to note is that stubble burning is not the only reason for this. Other reasons include smoke from factories, vehicular pollution, economic growth, etc.

Why is Punjab going through such bad air quality? Punjab is well known for its rapid industrialization in the post-independence period. With the advent of the green revolution and the process of liberalization and economic reforms, the manufacturing sector geared up in Punjab. The majority of these industries use coal as the main fuel which correspondingly resulted in an increase in the levels of air pollution over the time period.

While many factors are not in our hands, we can do something easy things in our daily life to achieve clean skies like the one in the below photo. Some ways to reduce air pollution are:

1. Use sustainable products
2. Use fewer cars and more public transport
3. Turn off appliances when they are not in use.
4. Using energy-efficient appliances
5. Buy fewer things that are manufactured using fossil fuels
6. Invest in electric cars or vehicles
7. Walk more instead of using your vehicles