Bihar’s AQI worst in country, 3 cities in ‘severe’ category

PATNA: Bihar emerged as the most polluted state in the country on Thursday with the air quality index (AQI) slipping to the ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ category, said officials aware of the development.

According to officials, the air pollution situation remained grim as all cities of Bihar featured in the top 10 polluted cities in the country.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Motihari recorded the worst AQI of 448 followed by Purnia 417 and Bettiah 406. Besides, eight cities recorded ‘very poor’ air quality. AQI in Begusarai stood at 363, Buxar 341, Chhapra 317, Darbhanga 374, Katihar 395, Saharsa 373. Samastipur 318, Siwan 394.

The CPCB classifies an AQI of zero to 50 as ‘good’, 51-100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 as ‘moderate’, 201-300 as ‘poor’, 301-400 as ‘very poor’ and above 401 as ‘severe’. Patna recorded a ‘poor’ AQI with an index value of 284 along with Muzaffarpur, Arrah, Hajipur, Munger, Bhagalpur, Araria, and Kishanganj also recording a ‘poor’ AQI ranging from 220 to 296. Gopalganj remained the lone city with clean air as it recorded a ‘satisfactory’ AQI where the index value stood at 96.

Bihar State Pollution Control Board’s chairman Ashok Ghosh, said, “The geographical and meteorological condition of the state is primarily responsible for poor air quality. The pollutant particles are suspended in the atmosphere due to thermal inversion in the winter season. The situation is likely to continue till any change in wind speed.” Ghosh said that there is a need to implement a comprehensive action plan for reducing air pollution in the state. “Earlier, the focus was given on three non-attainment cities like Patna, Muzaffarpur, and Gaya. However, AQI in these cities is comparatively better. It is a common notion that urban areas are polluted while rural areas are cleaner. But in reality, 25% to

28% of urban pollution is contributed by rural areas”, Ghosh said. .

MOTIHARI RECORDED THE WORST AQI OF 448, CPCB SAID