Bhubaneswar: Amid Diwali celebrations, air pollution levels in Bhubaneswar appeared to have recorded a sharp rise.
As per official sources, air quality in the state capital has been fluctuating between moderate and poor over the past week.
Officials have expressed the apprehension that the pollution level may record alarming surge during the bursting of crackers on Monday.
As per data gathered from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), air quality remains relatively satisfactory during late-night and early morning hours. However, the situation worsens between 10 am and 10 pm.
A thick haze has reportedly been created in different parts of the capital city due to continuous bursting of crackers. The air quality has stated to have become highly polluted in areas such as Rasulgarh, Hanspal, Palasuni, Acharya Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Hanspal, Chandrasekharpur, Infocity, Baramunda and Khandagiri. Ignoring the government’s instruction to use green crackers, people are seen indulging in unrestrained fireworks across the city.
An air quality monitoring device installed by OSPCB recorded an AQI (PM2.5) level of 105 in Lingaraj Temple area on Sunday evening. Previous data shows the AQI was 136 on Saturday, 162 on October 17, and 154 on October 16.
In Patia, AQI levels reportedly rose from 140 on October 15 to 177 on October 16, dropped slightly to 109 on October 17, then climbed again to 164 on October 18 and 122 on Sunday evening.
The air quality is being closely monitored by the OSPCB in Bhubaneswar and necessary measures may be taken if the situation worsens during Diwali celebrations, sources said.
