Bhubaneswar: A day after slipping to ‘very poor’ category, the air quality in several cities, except Angul, of Odisha was recorded as ‘poor’ on Tuesday morning.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality index (AQI) in twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack was recorded at 296 (Lingaraj Temple), 279 (Patia) and 275 respectively at 9 am. The other cities, which saw an improvement in air quality since Monday, are Talcher (299), Keonjhar (273), Balasore (263), Vyasanagar (239). Angul, however, continued to be in the ‘very poor’ category with an AQI of 361.
The aftermath of Diwali celebrations saw the air quality levels in at least seven cities – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Keonjhar, Talcher, Angul and Vyasanagar – of Odisha drop to ‘very poor’ category on Monday.
In Bhubaneswar, the AQI, which stood in the ‘poor’ category till 4 pm on Sunday, plunged to ‘very poor’ category with particulate matter (PM) 2.5, a major pollutant emitted from smoke, settling at 380 mg/m3 from 260 mg/m3 within 24 hours. The air quality in the neighbouring Cuttack also deteriorated to 355 from 214 by Monday morning. The AQI was also very poor in Balasore, Vyasanagar, and Keonjhar at 357, 311 and 302 respectively.
Air Quality Index on November 13, 4 pm (average of past 24 hours) across Odisha:
Angul: Very Poor (355)
Balasore: Very Poor (357)
Bhubaneswar: Very Poor (380)
Cuttack: Very Poor (355)
Keonjhar: Very Poor (302)
Talcher: Very Poor (337)
Vyasanagar: Very Poor (357)
According to an OSPCB official, the air quality deteriorated due to continuous bursting of crackers over two to three hours on Sunday evening and added that PM 2.5 mostly generated from smoke takes time to settle down.
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