At 694, Hapur air hazardous as NCR towns fail green test

MUZAFFARNAGAR: The morning after Diwali witnessed major deterioration in air quality in many western Uttar Pradesh districts. The air quality index (AQI) plummeted to ‘hazardous’ category in Hapur and ‘severe’ in Muzaffarnagar. Moradabad recorded ‘very poor’.
The AQI at Hapur was recorded at 694, with the main pollutant being PM10, while Moradabad recorded 352.Muzaffarnagar registered a level of 409, way above the normal category.
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According to data provided by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Monday, out of 11 UP cities, only Agra’s air quality recorded the lowest concentration of PM2.5 at 179. PM2.5 Agra’s ‘moderate’ level was better than the air quality in the city last year.
Other cities in the region, like Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Noida and Greater Noida recorded ‘very poor’ category with PM2.5 between 300 and 397.
The main reason attributed to this deterioration is bursting of firecrackers on Diwali night that resulted in haze comprising mist, smoke and other constituents.
According to Chandraveer Singh, former scientist at Haryana Pollution Control Board, “There are several harmful constituents in the smog post-Diwali, including sulphur, the main raw material in firecrackers, which is really harmful for lungs.”
DC Pandey, an assistant scientist posted in the pollution department in Muzaffarnagar, said, “There could be many more reasons behind the rising air pollution.”