Hyderabad: Many Hyderabadis said no to crackers this Diwali, and this was reflected in the city’s pollution data for Sunday.
Last year the maximum PM10 level was recorded at Kukatpally at 412 micrograms/metre cube(µg/m3) whereas this year at the same location it was recorded at 164µg/m3. Similarly at Jubilee Hills, while it was recorded at 171µg/m3 last year, this year it was 146µg/m3.
The main air pollutant that affects human health directly is Particulate Matter10 (PM10). PM10 are those pollutants in the air, which measure less than 10 micrometres in diameter and hence can directly get lodged in the trachea or bronchi.
Chart shows PM10 values on normal day and during Diwali, in micrograms/metre cube.
However, there is still much cause for concern. While the PM10 levels during Diwali this year were less than the last, the levels are still very high when compared to the safe standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board. As per CPCB norms, the PM10 should be within 100µg/m3.
Another cause of worry is the high PM2.5 values. PM2.5 are particulate matter that measure less than 2.5 micrometer in diameter and are much more dangerous than PM10. PM2.5 particles can reach all the way into the lungs and get lodged in the alveoli.
The TSPCB has not yet released the data of PM2.5 recorded on Diwali. An official said that the lab procedure takes more time.
The Continuous Ambi-ent Air Quality Monitor-ing System, which gives data in real time, is installed at such places that do not give a real picture of pollution in the city, like the one close to Hyderabad zoo, at the University of Hyderabad or at the industrial area in Sanathnagar, where not many people reside or burst crackers on Diwali.
Even in such areas the PM2.5 levels have been recorded close to four times higher than the CPCB standards.
The data of PM2.5 for Sanathnagar was recorded at 194µg/m3, and at 217µg/m3 at Hyderabad zoo. As per the air pollution monitoring unit at the US Consulate at Begumpet, it was 440µg/m3. The CPCB standard for PM2.5 is 60µg/m3.
