VIJAYAWADA: With the country completing 43 days of lockdown, the skies have been clearer than ever.
Andhra Pradesh, like other States, has also experienced steep fall in air pollution levels. The air pollution levels have gradually decreased from January to April. The credit of which goes to the ongoing lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus.
All the four Air Quality Index (AQI) stations established in the State - Visakhapatnam, Tirumala, Velagapudi and Rajamahendravaram - have recorded a dip in the air pollution levels. On an average, all the stations recorded moderate to satisfactory air quality levels with a few days witnessing very poor quality. January and February also recorded moderate to satisfactory levels of air pollution. However, March recorded satisfactory to good quality of air, while April had the maximum days with the ‘good’ category of air quality. However, none of the days in the past four months have recorded the air quality of severe category.
“While in Visakhapatnam the reasons include industries and vehicular traffic, in Vijayawada the major reasons include vehicular traffic and construction activities. As none of these were allowed for more than a month, these results are achieved,” said Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board chairperson BSS Prasad. As per the categories the good category has minimal impact on humans, only the sensitive people staying in an area with satisfactory quality of air suffer from minor breathing discomfort.
While people with lungs, asthma and heart diseases living in a moderate category area experience breathing discomfort, most people living in poor category experience breathing discomfort on prolonged exposure. While in very poor category areas, people suffer from respiratory illness by staying for a long time, in severe category area, healthy people and people with existing diseases are severely affected.