TIRUPATI: Restrictions imposed on movement of vehicles during curfew hours and on construction activities because of Covid-19 and reasonably good rains have brought down air pollution in several towns and cities by nearly 50 per cent.
Before lockdown, the air quality was poor at various locations due to emissions from vehicles, dust from construction works and smoke from industries.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Amaravati, Tirupati and Rajamahendravaram is being recorded in the good category, while that of Visakhapatnam is ‘satisfactory’ for the past few days. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) retrieves AQI from the air quality monitoring stations at these four locations. According to it, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe.
Amaravati recorded AQI at 25 around 11 am on Friday. It was 90 and 36 during the corresponding period in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Rajamahendravaram’s AQI was 74 on June 4, 2019. It improved to 40 and 38 in 2020 and 2021 for the same period.
Visakhapatnam's latest AQI stands at 71, as against 63 in 2020 and 104 in 2019. Though the port city’s AQI is found ‘satisfactory’ during curfew, environmentalists fear that it may reach the ‘moderate’ category once all the restrictions are lifted.
If the AQI comes between 101 and 200, sensitive groups may experience health effects but the general public is less likely to be affected.
The AQI of Tirumala, at 11 am on Friday, was 42, whereas it was 28 during the same period last year and 67 in 2019. Around 10,000-20,000 vehicles, including two-wheelers, TTD Vehicles and APSRTC used to ply in Tirumala before lockdown. As only a few are being allowed now, air pollution has come down considerably.
