Air is dirtier, Indira Nagar most polluted

RSPM level this year is 240.8 microgram/cubic meter – four times the safe limit

LUCKNOW: Indira Nagar, the residential hub of Lucknow, has retained its ‘most polluted’ status for the third consecutive year by recording highest levels of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) this year.

As per the pre-monsoon random sampling report on Lucknow’s air pollution by IITR, all residential areas have recorded higher RSPM in comparison to the 2016 report.

“RSPM are of size 4 to 5 micron that settle inside human organs such as lungs when we breathe in polluted air,” said Dr AA Mahdi, HoD, Biochemistry department at KGMU.

“Pollutants in the air can directly be linked to diseases such as COPD, asthma and other respiratory disorders. A secondary result could be general weakness or even premature deaths,” said Dr Sandeep Kapoor, director, Health City and Trauma Centre.

The permissible limit as per National Air Quality Standards is 100microgram/cubic meter and residential localities in Lucknow have air pollution higher than even this measurement.

Experts say this gradual rise in air pollution in all the areas needs to be dealt with major efforts such as plantation, cheaper and comfortable public transport.

Vikas Nagar registered the lowest RSPM levels at 193.6 microgram/cubic meter. But there was a rise in comparison to last year (186.1).