Bihar Cities Record Severe Air Pollution, Patna Among Most Affected
GG News Bureau
Patna, 13th Nov. Due to the very poor air quality in many cities in Bihar, the state pollution control board has urged district administrations to strictly enforce laws to combat air pollution in their respective areas.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) daily AQI bulletin (November 11 at 4 pm), Begusarai ranked highest on the list with an AQI of 382, followed closely by Saran at 376 and Patna at 375.
Other districts in Bihar with very poor air quality include Hajipur (356), Purnea (350), Katihar (350), Motihari (341), Bhagalpur (340), Rajgir (329), and Arrah (323).
The AQI is a measure of air quality that considers eight pollutants: PM 2.5, PM 10, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and lead.
An AQI above 300 indicates very poor air quality, which can lead to respiratory illnesses with prolonged exposure, according to the CPCB.
Regarding the worsening air quality in the state, Devendra Kumar Shukla, the chairman of the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), stated, “It is true that the air quality has deteriorated in several districts in the state. This is partly due to the weather conditions, as a large part of the state has not received rainfall in the last two to three days. Nevertheless, we have instructed the district administrations to strictly enforce laws to combat air pollution in their respective areas.”
All district magistrates have also been instructed to identify hotspots in their districts. In a recent meeting, the chief secretary directed everyone involved to form special squads to identify hotspots, particularly areas with construction activities, waste management (including transportation of building materials, waste dumping, and burning), traffic congestion hotspots, agricultural stubble burning, as well as dry road sweeping, water sprinkling, and dry leaf burning.
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