Board to assess sources of air pollution in Muzaffarpur, Gaya

PATNA: Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) is to conduct a survey in Gaya and Muzaffarpur to assess the main sources of air pollution in the two districts. It will be ‘air pollution source apportioned’ survey, officials said.
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Residents in Muzaffarpur have been breathing toxic air as Air Quality Index (AQI) in the district remained ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ during the past one week, while Gaya air quality also remained in poor category.
BSPCB chairman Ashok Kumar Ghosh said the deteriorating air quality in Patna was also due to pollutants coming from neighbouring districts. “To understand the cause of air pollution in Muzaffarpur and Gaya, we have outsourced a firm for source apportioned survey. Based on the findings, the state government can take measures to curb air pollution in the two districts as well,” he said.
He added: “The outsourced company has already conducted a similar survey in Patna and found vehicle emission (32%) as the main source of air pollution in the city.”
The other major causes were sand mining (12%), heating (10%), construction (7%), burning of garbage (7%), cooking fire (6%) and brick kilns (4%) among others.
Ghosh said the officials first collect the samples of air pollutants from several areas by using high-volume air samplers device. “The environment scientists collect the air pollutant, which is in dust form, from several areas on different days. Later, they did the chemical analysis of dust collected on filter paper of the machines,” he said.
According to environment scientists, the chemical analysis of air pollutants emitted from brick kilns, oil combustion, vehicle emission, sand mining, burning of garbage dump, construction and burning firewood is different. The scientists analyse the level of each component of air pollution, including PM 2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micron) and other gases.
Ghosh said based on the quantification of components of pollutants, the scientists figure out the percentage contribution by different sources to air pollution. “The survey in Muzaffarpur will be completed by January 2020 while the one in Gaya is likely to begin the same month,” he said.