Visakhapatnam’s air quality dips to ‘Poor’ category, AQI touches 254

A hazy RK Beach engulfed in smog in Visakhapatnam.

The air quality in Visakhapatnam slipped to the “Poor” category on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 254, rising from 177 the previous day, according to the daily bulletin of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The bulletin gives the average of the past 24 hours.

The reading was the highest among the 15 cities in Andhra Pradesh listed in the bulletin. The prominent pollutant was PM2.5, fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter. According to the CPCB, air in the “Poor” category (201 to 300) can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.

The reading of 177 on Saturday was itself the State’s highest and in the upper half of the “Moderate” category (101 to 200). On Sunday, Srikakulam and Rajamahendravaram recorded 110 each, in the same band, while the other 12 cities were “Satisfactory”, with numbers ranging from 54 in Anantapur to 92 in Amaravati.

Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) Joint Chief Environmental Scientist M. Sree Ranjani said the city had been hazy since Saturday, with “poor dispersion”. Temperatures drop in the evenings as October ends, trapping particulate matter close to the surface, a phenomenon known as temperature inversion. “It is always there, but it happens more in the winter season,” she said. In Visakhapatnam, the bowl-shaped terrain and the hills obstructing airflow make the effect stronger, she added.

Being an industrial zone with large industries, Visakhapatnam cannot close or scale back operations, so emissions remain more or less constant through the year. “Dispersion plays the major role,” Ms. Ranjani said, adding that it worsens towards winter. Vehicular traffic also contributes, she said, as vehicles stalled at signals add to emissions. Automatic and smart signalling that keeps traffic moving should be implemented, with the traffic police involved, she added.

The city has one station, at the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). The Visakhapatnam Port Authority has installed three more under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, and the APPCB has asked the CPCB to integrate them.

Citizen groups such as the Greater Visakhapatnam Citizens’ Forum and the environmental NGO Green Visakha have been consistently raising concerns over the city’s pollution levels and air quality.