PATNA: The air quality in Patna has deteriorated with the average pollution level inching closer to ‘very poor’ category on Sunday owing to the climatic reasons.
With several areas in Patna recorded high pollution level, the overall air quality index (AQI) plunged from 244 on Saturday to 285 at 4pm on Sunday. However, in the morning hours, the AQI level was 296.
Track the pollution level in your city
As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin, the overall AQI of 285 in Patna was the average of the six air monitoring stations at BIT-Mesra, Patna (285), Eco Park (332), SK Memorial Hall (309), DRM office at Khagaul (75), Planetarium (388) and Patna City (322). The CPCB stipulates that ‘poor’ AQI can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.
Pradhan Parth Sarthi, professor at Department of Environmental Science, Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), and standing committee member of Bihar State Action Plan for Climate Change, attributed geographical location as the main reason behind rise in pollution level during winter.
“PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micron) has been found to be the biggest contributor in the AQI. We can control the pollution level to some extent with some restrictions on vehicular emission and biomass. However, there can be some respite through natural phenomenon only. Few days back, the state witnessed windy conditions due to which the pollution level decreased owing to dispersion of pollutants. Now, the wind speed has slowed down and the pollutants are not able to disperse,” Sarthi said.
“After Diwali, the pollution level may increase further,” he warned.
As per the Bihar State Pollution Control Board, biomass and fossil fuel burning, industries like brick kiln, power plants and construction activities contribute to the air pollution in the state.
The Air Quality Early Warning System of the ministry of earth sciences has predicted improvement in the overall AQI of Patna due to change in wind direction.
A weatherman at Patna Metrological Centre said the direction of south-easterly has slightly changed from the evening, which could be the reason that the pollution level may decrease within the next few hours. “The weather conditions may further remain dry in Patna and across the state,” he said.