HYDERABAD: As the city started to experience winter chill a week back, the air quality index (AQI) has started to increase inching closer to ‘poor’ category — 185 on Sunday as against 126 recorded a week ago.
The AQI is rated good when it is between 0-50, satisfactory (51-100), moderate (101-200), poor (201-300), very poor (301-400) and severe (401-500).
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Earlier this month, AQI was recorded between 95-120. As the mercury levels started to drop from the third week of December, there was a gradual rise in the AQI levels.
Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) officials attributed it to low wind speed that trapped particulate matter in the atmosphere thereby deteriorating the air quality. “The wind pattern was stable in the last two days, due to which pollutants could not escape the atmosphere. Stable wind pattern trapped pollutants, slowing down its dispersion and resulting in smog during morning hours. Once wind keeps moving, the AQI automatically comes down,” said Prasad Dasari, senior scientist, TSPCB.
Several parts of the city experienced severe fog during early morning hours, forcing walkers to stay indoors. “Earlier, I used to step out around 6-6.30 am for morning walks. But now, due to heavy fog, I wait for the sunlight for visibility to improve,” said Piyush Gupta, a resident of Nallagandla.
Terming it an annual phenomena, environmentalists said government authorities should be vigilant in terms of emissions through different sources during this time of the year. “During this time, there needs to be increased regulation on garbage burning and industrial pollutants as dispersion is low,” said Subba Rao, an environmentalist.