Four UP districts record ‘very poor’ air quality, Ghaziabad worst-affected

LUCKNOW: A combination of factors, including dilapidated roads and ongoing infrastructural works, caused the air quality of four districts in Uttar Pradesh to slip into the “very poor” category.

The bulletin added that nine other districts recorded “poor” air quality. (HT PHOTO)

According to the daily bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Sunday, Ghaziabad was the worst-affected with an air quality index (AQI) reading of 344. The district was found to be the sixth most polluted in the country after Faridabad (383), Begusarai (369), Dharuhera (360), Manesar (355), and Delhi (352). The other three districts in Uttar Pradesh to record a “very poor” air quality were — Greater Noida (342), Kanpur (306), and Noida (321).

The bulletin added that nine other districts recorded “poor” air quality. These were — Agra (204), Baghpat (282), Bulandshahr (278), Hapur (284), Jhansi (256), Khurja (278), Meerut (229), Prayagraj (203) and Lucknow (218). It is worth noting that Lucknow recorded a marginal improvement in its air quality on Sunday against its AQI reading of 222 on Saturday.

In the state capital, the pollution control board has installed five monitoring stations. Out of these five, four stations recorded an AQI higher than the Saturday’s reading. For instance, the AQI reading in Lalbagh deteriorated from 288 on Saturday to 294 on Sunday. Similarly, the AQI reading was 235 at Central School area, and 221 at BR Ambedkar University. Only Gomti Nagar (175) and Kukrail (164) recorded a “moderate” AQI reading.

For the unversed, an AQI level between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51-100 is “satisfactory”, 101-200 is “moderate”, 201-300 is “poor”, 301-400 is “very poor”, and 401-500 is “severe”.

Pollution levels may drop with plummeting mercury: Experts

Experts and representatives of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board predict that presence of pollutants in the air will reduce as the temperature decreases. They, however, blamed poor roads and continuous development at several locations for the rise in AQI readings. Presence of particulate matter (PM) — which are the tiny particles or droplets in the air — increase AQI levels, added the experts.

Meanwhile, officials said that several teams — led by regional authorities — have been formed to manage air pollution. These team will investigate construction sites and other sources of pollution.

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