BHUBANESWAR: The state capital witnessed a three-fold deterioration in air quality on Diwali on Monday as people burst firecrackers till late in the night, violating the two-hour limit set by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB).
This apart, the city also witnessed large-scale noise pollution during the night as noise levels too, breached the norms and value -Leq dB(A) at multiple locations.
A thick layer of smoke enveloped the city skyline in the night following Diwali celebrations, pushing the capital’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) from ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’. Such was the condition that many localities like Nayapalli, Old Town, Rasulgarh, Baramunda and Patia witnessed drastically reduced visibility.
OSPCB officials said the level of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5, a prominent air pollutant, increased nearly three times - from 117 micrograms per cubic metre (mg/m3) to 297 mg/m3. Palasuni and Capital Police Station areas recorded the highest level of pollution in the city as air quality in both these areas deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category, with PM 2.5 levels of 362 mg/m3 and 354 mg/m3 respectively. The quality of air in Unit VIII, Nayapalli and Chandrasekharpur areas remained ‘moderately poor’ to ‘poor’, with PM 2.5 remaining in the range of 200 mg/m3 to 253 mg/m3
In Palasuni, the air quality was moderate with a PM 2.5 level of around 167 mg/m3 on pre-Diwali night of October 14 and 20. Similarly, air quality in Capital Police Staion area was satisfactory with PM 2.5 measuring only 97 mg/m3 during the period.
Meanwhile, the noise monitoring data of OSPCB showed that Leq dB(A) of Saheed Nagar, Mancheswar Industrial Estate and Nayapalli areas remained 79 on Diwali night (6 pm to 10 pm) against the standard Leq dB(A) of 70, 55 and 45 respectively, for these localities.
Expressing concern over the city’s deteriorated air quality, environmental experts warned that such alarming rise in pollution level poses immediate health risks, especially to children, elderly and those already having respiratory issues. Officials of the pollution control board said prolonged exposure to such high levels of air pollution can lead to long-term respiratory complications.
“Although the Board had set a timeline of two hours, from 7 pm to 9 pm for bursting firecrackers, people continued celebrating till 11 pm in violation of the guideline. The sensitisation drive on green crackers hardly worked in the absence of strong enforcement,” an OSPCB official told TNIE.
He further stated that the air and noise pollution were primarily caused by chemicals used in crackers. “Crackers made with barium, barium nitrate, mercury, arsenic, sulphur and nickel not only cause air pollution but also significantly contribute to noise pollution. Unless these crackers are banned, it will be difficult to control air pollution during Diwali,” the official added.
