Kochi residents flag worsening air quality, especially at night

The Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station at Vyttila.

Reports of deteriorating air quality in the city have raised public concern.

People have been reporting poor air quality, especially at night, on social media and other forums. Citing data available on the AQI tracker in Google Maps, they have reported poor air quality in areas such as Edayar, Eroor, Kaloor, Kathrikadavu, Mamangalam, Thripunithura, Vennala and Vyttila.

The concerns have prompted elected representatives to take up the issue. Ernakulam MLA T.J. Vinod has written to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan seeking government intervention amid reports of worsening air pollution in Kochi.

Mr. Vinod sought the government’s intervention, citing media reports pointing to poor air quality in the city. He said air pollution could lead to health complications, including asthma and other respiratory diseases, and have an adverse impact, particularly on the elderly and children.

He urged the authorities to check the Air Quality Index (AQI) and examine the operational efficiency of the systems used to assess pollution levels. He also asked whether the government had conducted a study on air pollution in the city. The concerns of the public should be addressed through appropriate remedial measures, he said. The MLA also submitted the available AQI data for Kochi and other related details to the Chief Minister.

Officials of the Ernakulam district administration said they had received complaints about poor air quality before the recent cyclonic rains. However, they said the situation had improved after the rains.

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board has been unable to gather real-time AQI data as its Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) at Vyttila and Kaloor remain non-functional. The third station, at Eloor, is functional, although its annual maintenance contract expired a year ago.