This story is from January 6, 2021

Patna, Muzaffarpur among 4 most polluted cities

Due to unfavourable climatic conditions in the region, Patna and Muzaffarpur figured among the four most polluted cities in the country on Tuesday.
Patna, Muzaffarpur among 4 most polluted cities
Leaves being burned near Eco Park in Patna cause air pollution
PATNA: Due to unfavourable climatic conditions in the region, Patna and Muzaffarpur figured among the four most polluted cities in the country on Tuesday.
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According to the daily bulletin of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) mobile application ‘SAMEER’, the overall air quality index (AQI) level of the state capital was recorded at 345 while it was 372 in Muzaffarpur around 4pm on Tuesday.
The other two cities among the four most polluted were Kanpur (397) and Lucknow (383).
The air quality of both the cities falls under ‘very poor’ category, which can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure.
Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) officials stated that the overall AQI of 355 for Patna was the average of the AQI level at DRM office Khagaul (367), Eco Park (351), Patna City (333) and BIT-Mesra, Patna (330), while the other two continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations at Planetarium and SK Memorial have encountered technical snag.
In Muzaffarpur, air monitoring station at the collectorate recorded AQI at 415, which is in severe category.

The prominent pollutant in Bihar is PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micron) and PM10 (particulate matter 10 microns).
Pradhan Parth Sarthi, professor of environmental science at Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), said Bihar has been witnessing calm weather from the last 3-4 days — no wind movement, minimum difference between day and night temperatures and cloudy conditions due to western disturbance. “Because of all these climatic reasons, the pollutants in the Gangetic plains starting from Uttar Pradesh up to Bihar, has been trapped,” he said.
Sarthi told this newspaper that the pollutants would disperse only when the temperature decreases with height or windy conditions. “If both are absent, then temperature increases with height, which we call temperature inversion. This is a common phenomenon during the winter,” he said.
Senior program officer of Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED), Ankita Jyoti, said the thermal inversion (soil is cooler than the air) has lowered the vertical wind movement causing very low dispersion of pollutants, especially particulate matters. “Vehicular pollution, domestic burning, dust and construction activities contribute to the bad air,” she said.
A report in Lancet journal recently underlined that states across Indo-Gangetic Plain, including Bihar, endure maximum exposure to particulate matters, with an annual mean concentration of more than 100 units, while the international safe limit for PM2.5 exposure remains 10 units.
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About the Author
Faryal Rumi

She is working with the Times of India as a Senior Digital Content Creator on the Patna desk.

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