Pollution levels dip in Hyderabad

Hyderabad city has started to witness a steady decline in pollution levels over the last few months. Data generated by the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) from different parts of the city has the Air Quality Index (AQI) values presenting a positive trend reflective of an improved air quality. In fact, as per the data, some parts of the city had such improvement that these monitored locations got shifted on the pollution map from being moderate to satisfactory with regard to air quality.

If Sanathnagar, once a key industrial hub of city, had AQI value of 229 in January and indexed as ‘poor’ with risks of breathing discomforts for most people, in the month of May, the values slipped to 69 which is the green zone of ‘satisfactory’ air quality.

Similarly, the pollution monitoring station at Nehru Zoological Park which recorded high values of 217 AQI at the start of the year had the same steadily dropping to stand at 89 by May. The PCB data also shows that at University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, the air quality has improved and the indexing changing from ‘moderate’ to ‘satisfactory’. Pashamylaram too throws up a major surprise.

The improvement could be uniformly observed at busy locations



such as Madhapur, Abids, KBR National Park, Langer Houz, Paradise and Charminar. Some of the locations in and around the city which have lower pollution levels and are bracketed in the lighter green category of satisfactory retain their status with no major changes. These locations include Chikkadpally, Rajendranagar, Sainikpuri and Shameerpet.

In terms of classification, if the ‘satisfactory’ category had only six of the 24 monitored locations of the city in January, the number rose to 14 locations by May. Even when compared with May 2017, the AQI in the city presents a much improved and satisfactory picture.

Most of the parameters monitored for the ambient air quality too show a consistent drop. The Particulate Matter (PM10) data over the last six months shows it slipping from 162 to 131 at Balanagar, 159 to 112 at Uppal, 143 to 124 at Jubilee Hills and from 107 to 87 at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station. The PM2.5 for the same period also echoes a similar trend.

The carbon monoxide levels at the Zoo were at 0.7 mg/m3 in May as against 1.3 mg/m3 in January while it was 0.5 mg/m3 in May at Bollaram as against 0.8 mg/m3 in January.