BHUBANESWAR: Vehicular emissions and incessant construction activities seem to be choking the state capital as the city’s air quality has deteriorated significantly in the last five days with particulate matter (PM2.5) remaining the major pollutant.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the PM2.5 level in the city remained between very poor and extremely poor categories (averaged over 24 hours) since the beginning of the week. The average PM2.5 value in Bhubaneswar remained at 111, 171, 167, 140 and 176 from Monday to Friday respectively.
The PM2.5 level between 50 and 150 (averaged over 24 hours) is considered to be very poor and more than 150 during the same period comes under the extremely poor category. The city has already recorded extremely poor PM2.5 level thrice this week - Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Bhubaneswar also witnessed high PM10 levels in the last five days. The PM10 reading was 115 on Monday and 141, 134, 122 and 144 in next four days respectively.
The PM10 levels between 151 and 200 are considered unhealthy. The readings of PM2.5 and PM10 recorded by the Patia station of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) were particularly high during the evening hours.
Experts attributed the increase in PM2.5 and PM10 levels in the city to local emissions which are not able to dissipate because of the prevailing weather conditions.
“Various localised factors like vehicular emissions, vigorous construction activities and burning of garbage like plastic has increased the pollution levels in Bhubaneswar. Besides, felling of trees has further worsened the situation,” said Odisha Environmental Society’s working president Jaikrushna Panigrahi.
Experts said the cold weather conditions prevailing in the state are not allowing the pollutants to escape. Usually during winters, the atmosphere becomes highly stable because of the prevalence of cold air over the surface and warm air in the upper levels leading to temperature inversion.
“This temperature inversion is a layer in the atmosphere where air temperature increases with height and this does not allow the pollutants to escape,” said associate professor of IIT-BBS School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences Sandeep Pattnaik.
Due to fewer western disturbances occurring this year, there is hardly any rainfall activity which could have otherwise helped to disperse the pollution from the atmosphere, he added.