This story is from September 24, 2021

Hyderabad’s particulate matter is seven times WHO-recommended limit

Hazardous particulate matter in the air is seven times higher in Hyderabad than the prescribed limit, according to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) revised guidelines.
Hyderabad’s particulate matter is seven times WHO-recommended limit
Representative image
HYDERABAD: Hazardous particulate matter in the air is seven times higher in Hyderabad than the prescribed limit, according to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) revised guidelines.
After 16 years, WHO released its guidelines showing how the city’s PM 2.5 and PM 10 (extremely hazardous particulate matters found in smoke and dust) average for 2020, when the city was in a state of lockdown for months was seven times the revised safe limit.

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Health experts said higher levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10 increases the likelihood of several medical conditions, including asthma, preterm birth, low birth weight, depression, schizophrenia, diabetes, stroke and lung cancer.
The WHO has updated the annual safe limit for PM 2.5 to 5mg per cubic metre and PM 10 to 15mg per cubic metre.
The revised guidelines make it difficult for Hyderabad to meet global standards with its annual PM 2.5 average in 2020 recording 35mg per cubic metre and PM 10 average at 81mg per cubic metre, which was seven times than the WHO safe limits.
The PM 2.5, which is the most hazardous of all, continues to be on the higher side,” warned environmentalist Purushottam Reddy. “Cities like Hyderabad, Delhi and Bengaluru have turned into ‘gas chambers’. The country has barely made any effort to even meet the WHO’s 2005 guidelines. If the revised WHO guidelines are not taken seriously now, surviving in Hyderabad too will get difficult in the next few years as there would be large scale health implications.”

With the WHO setting a threshold for key pollutants, experts have called for stricter rules to mitigate its health impact.
“The WHO’s revised limits have strengthened the argument that even at lower levels, these pollutants pose a risk to human health,” said Sunil Dahiya, analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. “Now, there is evidence on how these pollutants have significant health impact. While some blame it on vehicular emission, others attribute it to fossil fuel burning. It’s time the government starts initiating action against major pollutants in the country.”
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