Chandigarh, Nov. 19 -- The air quality index (AQI) of the city has turned satisfactory, dropping from 137 on Monday to 93 on Tuesday as per the daily bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This year, the city's air quality has remained much better than the previous year. On November 18 last year, the city's AQI had stood at 268, which is considered poor (see box). AQI between 51 and 100 is considered satisfactory but can cause minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people. AQI between 101 and 200 is considered moderate and can cause breathing discomfort to the people with asthma, lung and heart diseases. AQI between 201 and 300 is considered poor and can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure. On Diwali this year, Chandigarh's AQI had shot up to 318, which is considered very poor. IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said that the temperatures have favoured cleaner air this year. "We had a spell of cold North Westerly winds blowing in the region without interruption which kept pollutants from accumulating. An early Diwali, which meant the pollutants scattered quickly owing to higher temperatures, and late harvest also helped," said Paul. UT director environment and member secretary of Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee, Saurabh Kumar also maintained that an early Diwali had worked in the city's favour, but apart from this the UT administration has also been conducting drives against pollution. Kumar described how their target has been to eradicate dust suspension in the city. "For this the municipal corporation carried out regular spraying operations across the city," said Kumar, adding that stringent fines on burning of leaves have borne fruit. Not just does Chandigarh have cleaner air compared to last year, it also fares better than its neighbour Panchkula. In the past, Panchkula usually had better air quality than Chandigarh. Mohali doesn't have any Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) run by the CPCB in the city. They rely on the Chandigarh observatory in Sector 53 which is situated close to Mohali for their data. Chandigarh has two other CPCB observatories in Sectors 22 and 25. With a Western Disturbance (WD) drawing close, the city's temperatures have started rising. The maximum temperature rose from 27.4degC on Monday to 28.2degC on Tuesday, two degrees above normal. The minimum temperature also rose from 9.2degC on Monday to 10.2degC on Tuesday, still a degree below normal. As per Paul, though the mountains can expect rains this weekend when the Western Disturbance hits the region, rain is unlikely in Chandigarh. Paul added that the temperature will start dropping again from next week. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 25degC and 26degC while the minimum will remain between 12degC and 13degC....