Chandigarh

carlaeb

What can you tell me about the cleanliness and pollution in Chandigarh? Is it a relatively clean place? How is the air? How do the winters there compare to Delhi. The heavy smog, fog and dust in Delhi winters quite literally almost killed me once and I'm hoping to avoid death for as long as possible.

PeakXV

Might be slightly cooler than Delhi in the Winter time(-2c is the low low I think) .... depending on where you're home base is - that may make a difference or not. Less congestion, less air particulate and lovely spacious gardens will make up for those extras days where woolens are needed!

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carlaeb

I'm not concerned about the winter temperature, but rather about the pollution. In Delhi, the air is much much worse in the winter because of the winter fog that holds down all the particulates. Fog like this in Chandigarh?

PeakXV

That thick December fog does not discrimate and can affect all of North India at times - Chandigarh has it's fair share of fogginess I'm afraid. You may want to contact one of the Indian meteological bureaus if you need more exact information or a graphic historic comparison between the two cities winter weather/atmospheric conditions.

machadinha

Carla, going by your other thread I thought you were moving to Goa? Reconsidering?

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carlaeb

I know it is confusing. We actually have a choice- Goa (which I didn't know isn't a city but I asked my husband and he did - thank you), Chandigarh or Pondicherry.

I'm leaning towards Goa because I like the coast and the weather seems nice. Plus lots of expats there, so I figure I will be able to find some sort of work and be able to get around more easily.

I automatically nixed Chandigarh simply because one winter in Delhi nearly killed me. I assume the fog in Chandigarh will be the same since it is in the same region. But I thought that while I'm on this board asking about Goa, I might as well ask about the fog too? I'm a big hiker, so it is hard to dismiss living in the Himalayan foothills. But I'm also an asthmatic, and seriously after just two weeks in the Delhi fog/pollution I was in the hospital. Living there would kill me- no exaggeration.

I don't know much about Pondicherry, but what I read seems unappealing, so still I'm pretty sure we'll choose Goa.

Incidentally, I will be there in a few weeks on company-sponsored vacation to check things out and make the decision. We move in Octoberish, but I just can't stop thinking about it.

vvr

Hi Carla,

I travel to Chandigarh quite frequently on business from Bangalore. I am an asthmatic as well.

I would urge the utmost caution in going forward with a move to Chandigarh. There is no doublt that the city is well planned and beautiful and the auto emissions are far less than Delhi but the city's problem is that the city is surrounded by small villages and all those living in temporary shelters burn whatever they can lay their hands on for warmth. So there is a perpetual smoke cover over the city for during the winter months. I have had some of the most severe asthma attacks there. You can literally see the layer of smoke as you descend into the airport.

Think about this.

puchoo

I know that city inside out..and its better than Delhi...more planned, better weather (sometimes), more organized, traffic discipline etc etc..

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machadinha

Nice. If I were you, I'd certainly try and throw in a visit to Pondicherry too then to check it out (never been there mind). I think the east coast may be hotter but less prone to (the full brunt of) the monsoon? Can anyone comment on this? Would depend on what you prefer of course. I'd also expect there to be plenty of expats here, could be more of the new age variety though, would depend what you're after again. And again, that's just what I imagine, I don't know the place. I guess Chennai wouldn't be all that far away for the occasional city hop. The west coast certainly provides more of a green tropical setting I think, and if you like to be more "in the thick of things," I guess Goa is the better bet.

Hardly surprising, is it

ps For some general weather overviews, the meteorological department etc., try also this whole thread: India climate chart

carlaeb

Thanks for the response. It sounds like you have exactly the same problem I do! It's nice to hear someone who understands! People keep saying how clean the emissions level is. Well, that irrelevant to me! It's the dust and soot and crap in the air held down by the fog that kills me.

I guess I was right in crossing Chandigarh off my list. Goa it will probably be!

Although sure, why not. I'll check out Pondicherry.

VVR, what part of India are you in? Have you had trouble with your asthma elsewhere? I've found that I can handle all the pollution of Mexico City or LA or Houston without any problem, so I think I am specifically having trouble with particulate matter.

mira4bai4

Personally I would say that for asthmatics Chandigarh is not a good spot, it is in my opinion more polluted that Delhi (surprise). In Chandi they burn everything, so many trees, so many leaves and the area between Chandi and Mohali is very often a smoke zone and the refuse dumps are constantly burning. Diesel vehicle emissions are high as they do not have CNG public transport and with the style of driving which is worse than Delhi is predisposed to full throttle and higher pollution.

In fact Delhi has greater dust and grit particulate in the air from all of the construction and destruction going on, whereas Chandi has more smoke pollution collected from all over the Punjab in a wide swath. This is all easy to see from living in Shimla where I could daily look out into the valley where Chandi and the Punjab were, not nice in that stuff I thought often. Haryana and the Punjab with the huge amount of rice growing and the nature of regularly burning off reminded me often of the bush fires in Australia, so often having ash falling and this seldom happens in Delhi by comparison. When I was living in Mohali we were daily having to clean sticky dirt from everything in the house and dust storms were often a force to contend with so this constant sticky dust is in the air that we eat and look through. To me the actual clear visual distance is the same in Chandi and Delhi as it all depends on the breeze and Delhi does have more breeze than Chandi I have found.

indiaadventure

How long does this "fog" last for? I haven't read this about Chandigarh anywhere else but here. Do non-asthmatics tend to have a problem?

ragz

chandigarh is one of the cleanest cities in India. there is never any smog (pollution related). in winters, like the rest of north india there would be foggy days which would not last for more than day at the most.

vvr

It is smog more than fog. The smog season is usually between late October and early to mid-March. This is just my observation as a frequent visitor to the city. I do not live there (and will not ever!). My work takes me to a US-based real estate project in Mohali and I am provided an apartment within 200 yards of the actual project site. This short walk (during this season) has me gasping. I have colleagues (non-asthmatics, one of them was a college basketball player) who come from the US for our meetings and they have the same problem.

What causes the smog is this. There are several villages that encircle the tri-state area (C'garh, Mohali and Panchkula) and in the winter months folks living in these villages burn anything they can get their hands on to keep warm. Add to this mix the thermal inversion that takes place and you have the perfect recipe for smog.

If you are an asthmatic (like I am) please disregard all proclamation about C'garh being the cleanest city etc. if you are contemplating a permanent move there, please do an exploratory visit, preferably in the winter months. If you are just going there for a short trip, you might be OK (although I am not).

If you are not an asthmatic you may not have a problem. But you could still develop minor upper respiratory problems.

Let me know if you need more info.

palerider

Gee, i would consider Pondicherry as well. It has a beautiful beach on the BAy of Bengal, and very nice architecture as well.
The food is exquisite, and the ice cream shops are incredible. It was a lot cheaper for me, and the market is great.
The weather is certainly better than Chandigarh, and i really think it's worth a look. it's not a really long way to hills for trekking/hiking, and you're not far from Chennai and the south Coast. I loved it there.
Just my two cents worth.

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