APPCB finds air quality within the state satisfactory

Vijayawada:Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has underlined that AP’s ambient air quality is satisfactory, except for a part of Tirupati, after taking up a series of activities to curb major pollutants in the state as part of the National Clean Air Programme.

APPCB has set up 31 ambient air quality monitoring stations, most of them automated, at all strategic locations in Andhra Pradesh to assess the air quality and changes in it. These stations assess major pollutants in the air like particulate matter (PM) 10, PM 2.5, sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3).

While the national average air quality index (AQI) is 60 with regard to PM10, AP’s AQI at various places have remained in the range of Good, Satisfactory and Moderate in majority cases, though the monitoring station at Vaikuntapuram Park in Tirupati recorded of PM2.5’s AQI at 343 on Thursday.

This underlines that Tirupati's civic authorities must initiate steps to control air pollution in the temple town.

According to APPCB’s data, real-time AQI measures of cities / towns in Andhra Pradesh are: Anantapur – 58 of PM10, Bobbili – 94 of PM10, Anantapur Court Road – 104 of PM2.5, Chittoor – 51 of PM10, Eluru – 67.75 of PM10, Visakhapatnam GVMC – 168 of PM2.5, Visakhapatnam – 100.33 of PM10, Chittoor – 191 of PM2.5, Guntur – 63.5 of PM10, Bhavanipuram – 123 of SO2, Kadapa – 58.25 of PM10, Kakinada – 102 of PM10, Kurnool – 91.25 of PM10, Nellore – 58.75 of PM10, Ongole – 55.75 of PM10, Rajahmundry – 100 of PM10, Srikakulam – 88.67 of PM10, Tirumala – 74 of PM10, Tirupati – 55.5 of PM10, Vijayawada – 81.67 of PM10, and Vizianagaram – 99.67 of PM10, among others.

In summary, of the 31 AQI monitoring stations in the state, 24 recorded the air quality as satisfactory, six as moderate, and one as very poor, which is Tirupati.

Implementation of the National Clean Air Programme in AP since 2019 has enabled all urban local bodies in the state to curb dust pollution to various extents by taking a series of works under NCAP like cleaning major roads, developing greenery, providing pavements at road margins to check dust from rising, and other measures.

In Vijayawada, PCB authorities have set up four air quality monitoring stations at Rajiv Gandhi Park, Bhavanipuram, Siddhartha Engineering College and Payakapuram in Rajiv Nagar. These stations also have display boards, so that people can watch the real time AQI.

Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has underlined that AP’s ambient air quality is satisfactory, except for a part of Tirupati, after taking up a series of activities to curb major pollutants in the state as part of the National Clean Air Programme.APPCB Vijayawada environmental engineer Srinivasa Rao says, “As part of NCAP, the city has taken up measures, such as vertical gardens, construction of flyovers, diversion of vehicular traffic from city, and launch of CNG auto rickshaws and other vehicles. These measures have reduced average AQI to 62 against 76 to 80 earlier, providing cleaner air to people.”