Bihar Faces Air Quality Crisis: Hajipur Named India’s Most Polluted City | Patna News – Times of India
Patna: With a “severe” air quality index (AQI) of 427, Hajipur was the most polluted city in the country on Tuesday, even as five more Bihar cities, including capital Patna and Rajgir, were in the top 10 list.
Apart from Hajipur — the only city in the country to record an AQI above the 400 mark — Patna and Rajgir — where Women’s Hockey Asian Championship Trophy is being held — Muzaffarpur, Saharsa and Bettiah also made it to the top 10 polluted cities list, as per a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin.
A 24-hour average AQI of Hajipur’s Industrial Area stood at 427 on the day, with the main source of pollution being PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) or suspended particles in air, particularly silt. After Hajipur, Chandigarh was the second most polluted city with an AQI of 343, closely followed by Patna with 340 and Delhi at 334. Rajgir, where Women’s Hockey Asian Championship Trophy is being held, was at fifth position, recording a “poor” AQI of 296.
The state capital’s air turned toxic in the last 24 hours, as the AQI level rose by 58 notches from a “poor” 282 on the previous day to a “very poor” of 340 on Tuesday.
Of the six continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations located across the city, the one in Samanpura recorded the highest AQI of 389, followed by Patna City (353), Muradpur (326), Rajbanshi Nagar (325), DRM office-Khagaul (324) and Planetarium (320). The average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 145µg/m3 and 140.2µg/m3 respectively.
According to CPCB, an AQI above 300 is deemed “very poor” and can affect respiratory health on prolonged exposure. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor” and 401 and 500 “severe”. A “severe” AQI can even affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases.
The other polluted cities in Bihar, which recorded “poor” air quality with AQIs above 200 were led by Rajgir (296), followed by Saharsa (294), Muzaffarpur (293), Bettiah (290), Samastipur (235), Araria (229), Purnia (224), Buxar (213) and Gaya (213).
Environmentalists have attributed the pollution to airborne dust being trapped and subsequently pushed towards the lower layer of the earth. Given that surface winds are calm and stagnant, the dust particles remain trapped within the lower atmosphere for prolonged periods. Meteorological factors, including temperature, fog conditions, wind speed and direction, are also responsible for fluctuations in the AQI, besides other anthropogenic activities.
Arun Kumar, a senior scientist at Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), said localised dust is the main reason behind the rise in air pollution in Hajipur. “The monitoring station is installed in the industrial area, and due to the continuous movement of heavy vehicles and meteorological conditions (calm wind below 5km/hr), the dust remains trapped in the air, hence the AQI level increased,” he said.
He added the pollution level increases after Chhath as the movement of vehicles on road increases. “We are trying to control the pollution by taking localised measures.”
Patna district magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh urged farmers to refrain from burning stubble in the fields, a major cause of air pollution, besides adopting scientific farming methods to increase productivity and income. Officials have been instructed to run awareness campaigns in villages about the subsidies provided by the state govt for agricultural equipment useful in crop residue management, relevant punitive provisions of the Indian Civil Code for burning stubble, soil and crop residue management, and environmental protection.
Patna Municipal Corporation has been directed to regularly sprinkle water and mist on a regular basis in the areas where construction activities are going on to suppress the dust particles.
Apart from Hajipur — the only city in the country to record an AQI above the 400 mark — Patna and Rajgir — where Women’s Hockey Asian Championship Trophy is being held — Muzaffarpur, Saharsa and Bettiah also made it to the top 10 polluted cities list, as per a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin.
A 24-hour average AQI of Hajipur’s Industrial Area stood at 427 on the day, with the main source of pollution being PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) or suspended particles in air, particularly silt. After Hajipur, Chandigarh was the second most polluted city with an AQI of 343, closely followed by Patna with 340 and Delhi at 334. Rajgir, where Women’s Hockey Asian Championship Trophy is being held, was at fifth position, recording a “poor” AQI of 296.
The state capital’s air turned toxic in the last 24 hours, as the AQI level rose by 58 notches from a “poor” 282 on the previous day to a “very poor” of 340 on Tuesday.
Of the six continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations located across the city, the one in Samanpura recorded the highest AQI of 389, followed by Patna City (353), Muradpur (326), Rajbanshi Nagar (325), DRM office-Khagaul (324) and Planetarium (320). The average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 145µg/m3 and 140.2µg/m3 respectively.
According to CPCB, an AQI above 300 is deemed “very poor” and can affect respiratory health on prolonged exposure. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor” and 401 and 500 “severe”. A “severe” AQI can even affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases.
The other polluted cities in Bihar, which recorded “poor” air quality with AQIs above 200 were led by Rajgir (296), followed by Saharsa (294), Muzaffarpur (293), Bettiah (290), Samastipur (235), Araria (229), Purnia (224), Buxar (213) and Gaya (213).
Environmentalists have attributed the pollution to airborne dust being trapped and subsequently pushed towards the lower layer of the earth. Given that surface winds are calm and stagnant, the dust particles remain trapped within the lower atmosphere for prolonged periods. Meteorological factors, including temperature, fog conditions, wind speed and direction, are also responsible for fluctuations in the AQI, besides other anthropogenic activities.
Arun Kumar, a senior scientist at Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), said localised dust is the main reason behind the rise in air pollution in Hajipur. “The monitoring station is installed in the industrial area, and due to the continuous movement of heavy vehicles and meteorological conditions (calm wind below 5km/hr), the dust remains trapped in the air, hence the AQI level increased,” he said.
He added the pollution level increases after Chhath as the movement of vehicles on road increases. “We are trying to control the pollution by taking localised measures.”
Patna district magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh urged farmers to refrain from burning stubble in the fields, a major cause of air pollution, besides adopting scientific farming methods to increase productivity and income. Officials have been instructed to run awareness campaigns in villages about the subsidies provided by the state govt for agricultural equipment useful in crop residue management, relevant punitive provisions of the Indian Civil Code for burning stubble, soil and crop residue management, and environmental protection.
Patna Municipal Corporation has been directed to regularly sprinkle water and mist on a regular basis in the areas where construction activities are going on to suppress the dust particles.
