Emerging Pollution Capitals of India

As Delhi chokes on bad air, other cities are not far behind

- Anupam Chakravartty and Ajeet Singh

AS HEAVY smog enveloped Delhi for about 10 days following Diwali celebrations pushing the Delhi government to declare emergency measures, several smaller cities showed up as more polluted than the national capital. This is evident from the daily Air Quality Index (aqi) that the Central Pollution Control Board (cpcb) releases for 32 cities. Worse, there is absolute silence about pollution risks in these cities.

On October 29 and 30, Kanpur became the country’s most polluted city. It scored 487 and 480 on cpcb’s aqi. Delhi scored 404 and 431 on those days. Faridabad topped the list on five different occasions between November 1 and 7, with its aqi level hovering between 453 and 493. Over the next two days Lucknow topped the list—the capital city of Uttar Pradesh scored 491 on November 8 and 494 on November 9.

In fact, Lucknow’s air worsened by three times between Diwali and the day before the festival— the level of PM2.5 in the city’s atmosphere jumped from 248.2 µg/m 3 on October 29 to 672.2 µg/m 3 on October 30. The concentration of PM10 increased from 360.1 µg/m 3 to 863.8 µg/m 3 , show estimates by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (iitr), Lucknow. Agra and Varanasi also reported high aqi levels during the period. Alok Dhaw, director of iitr, says pollution levels prevailing across north Indian states are alarming for both human and ecological health.

Such high concentrations of particulate matter in the atmosphere and calm weather make a perfect recipe for a dense smog, which is hazardous to health. As per cpcb, aqi level above 400 is considered “severe” air pollution. At this range, air pollution affects even healthy people and can seriously affect those suffering from diseases.