KOCHI: Compared to other major cities in the country, Kerala’s cities are better placed in terms of ambient air quality. However, Kochi reports the highest pollution levels in the state, ranking 88th among cities in India. Its annual mean PM2.5 (38 μg/m3) and PM 10 (70 μg/m3) readings both fall above the standard permissible limit.
The next most polluted cities are Kottayam and Kozhikode. The capital, Thiruvananthapuram, is much cleaner, with PM 2.5 levels at 29 μg/m3 and PM 10 levels at 55 μg/m3.
The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) says no city in Kerala has alarming levels of air pollution. The higher pollution in Kochi is attributed to the presence of industries on its peripheries, vehicular pollution and dust from construction sites.
Environmentalists do not buy the explanations given by the KSPCB. They say it has not been doing continuous monitoring of air quality. Jolted out of its slumber by Delhi’s smog emergency, KSPCB announced on Thursday that it would install four ambient air quality monitoring systems by the end of the financial year.