Nagpur stood on top in air pollution in Maharashtra on Sunday night as the city reported the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) with 282. The Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) situated in Government Post Office (GPO) premises in Civil Lines area reported 282 AQI which was the worst among all cities in State. The CAAQMS in Ram Nagar area is also reported 254 AQI on Sunday followed by Ambazari CAAQMS with 212 AQI and Mahal with 202 AQI. Mumbai stands second in the list with 251 AQI and Pune was third with 243 AQI on Sunday night.

 

‘The Hitavada’ observed that the AQI of Nagpur city of before Diwali was also poor from last 3-4 days and the highest AQI was observed in wee hours when no fire-crackers were burst. Before Diwali the Particulate Matter (PM2.5) which consists of airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter, and is most often produced as a result of combustion was above 200 in city and it happened due to industrial pollution. However, on the night of November 8, along with industrial pollution, the firecrackers, open burning and 49 fire incidents that took place in city were the major factors involved in poor air quality of Nagpur city. Thick smog everywhere in city due to air pollution was observed in wee hours of Monday. Due to poor air quality many citizens felt uncomfortable late night while sleeping. Whereas, on Monday evening, the AQI of Nagpur city worsened as CAAQMS situated at GPO reported 318 AQI. On Monday evening, the AQI of Mahal area was 218 and Ram Nagar was 272 AQI. The data clarifies that multiple factors are involved for poor air quality of Nagpur city and fire crackers should not be solely blamed for air pollution. The air quality of Akola was also recorded at poor level with 227 AQI and Chandrapur was 216 AQI on November 8. “Along with thermal power plants, open burning and vehicle emission are also other factors for increased AQI level in city. If it is happening before starting of Diwali celebration and remains after the festival as well then it is a clear indication that air pollution is happening due to all factors,” said a senior scientist of CSIR-NEERI on a condition of anonymity to ‘The Hitavada’.