Air Quality In Nine Cities Of Telangana Severely Polluted

In a recent report by Greenpeace India, it has been found that the air quality of nine cities in the Telangana state is severely polluted with the annual Particulate Matter (PM10) value in 2018, greater than the national limit of 60 micrograms set under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

The focus of the report was on the ‘non-attainment’ cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) initiated by the government of India. According to the report, 231 cities out of 287, which have been monitored through 52 days of data, were found to be severely polluted with more quantity of PM10.

Jharia in Jharkhand topped the list of the most polluted city in India. Kothur, Hyderabad, Ramagundam, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Sangareddy, Patencheru and Adilabad in Telangana also have air pollution levels higher than the limits set by NAAQS. Whereas in Andhra Pradesh six cities have pollution levels slightly higher than the NAAQS limits.

However, Kerala people seem to be quite happy and healthy as none of the cities exceeded the level of PM10 limits set by NAAQS. The next step is that NCAP should expand its list as its goal was to reduce air pollution levels (levels of PM2.5 and PM10 in the air) by 20-30% when compared with 2017 by the year 2024.