Deepavali pollution pushes two AP cities into ‘poor’ air category

Amaravati: Air quality deteriorated across all 17 monitored cities in the state after the Deepavali celebrations, with Visakhapatnam and Rajamahendravaram slipping into the ‘poor’ category.

Visakhapatnam recorded the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) at 264, up from 229 the previous day. Rajamahendravaram saw the sharpest deterioration, with its AQI rising from 104 to 220, moving from the ‘moderate’ to the ‘poor’ category, according to the AQI bulletin issued on Monday.

Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) chairman P Krishnayya said in a press release that the remaining 15 cities were in the ‘moderate’ category, with AQI readings ranging from 101 to 200. On Sunday, 12 cities had recorded ‘satisfactory’ air quality, while Visakhapatnam was the only city in the ‘poor’ category, he said.

Among the cities in the ‘moderate’ category, Tirupati recorded the highest AQI at 191, followed by Nellore (175) and Srikakulam (170). Eluru recorded the lowest, at 118. Amaravati, Vijayawada, Guntur and Anantapur, which had recorded ‘satisfactory’ air quality a day earlier, also witnessed a sharp deterioration. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was the predominant pollutant in most cities, including Visakhapatnam and Rajamahendravaram. PM10 was the predominant pollutant in Amaravati, Eluru and Kakinada, while both PM2.5 and PM10 were prominent pollutants in Vijayawada.

The AQI classification indicates that readings of 101-200 may cause breathing discomfort to people with lung ailments, asthma and heart diseases, while levels of 201-300 may cause such discomfort to most people if exposed for prolonged periods.

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