No respite from pollution levels

Despite pre-monsoon showers lashing the city, there has been no change in pollution levels.

The particulate matter (PM) made of dust, soot and fly-offs is supposed to settle down in rains but the city continued to have high levels of the same.

According to real time data by aqicn.org the Air Quality Index in the last 48 hours of the pollutant PM 2.5 (Particulate matter less than 2.5 micron) was as high as 137 which is regarded as unhealthy.

Experts say the reason for this could be that PM smaller than 2.5 microns doesn’t tend to settle with water and a significant change is seen only on PM 10 levels.

But the Central Pollution Control Board found the primary pollutants in the air to be O3 and PM10. The data is averaged from the four monitoring systems in the city.

The PCB found the average AQI at 55 points which is regarded as satisfactory.

“Sustained rainfall alone can help the dust settle; until then pollution levels would remain high” said Kumar Pathak, environmental engineer with the TS Pollution Control Board. He attributed vehicles to be the major contributor.

Particulate matter 2.5, which is smaller than 2.5 microns, is emitted during the combustion of solid (coal, wood) and liquid (petrol, diesel) fuels.

Since PM 2.5 are tiny in size, they can travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs.

Exposure to PM 2.5 can also affect lung function and worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease.