Bhubaneswar, Dec 25: While the Delhi metropolis is reeling with concerning AQI threatening usual lives, Odisha’s Balasore has been recorded having poorer air quality than the national Capital.
Balasore even surpassed the state’s most polluted town Talcher regarding the air quality, observed the environmental watchdogs on Thursday.
According to report, Odisha once again emerged as one of the most polluted states in India, surpassing even Delhi in air quality index (AQI) on Thursday morning.
As of today, three towns were recorded among the country’s five most polluted urban areas where Balasore led with an alarming AQI of 336.
One of the top polluted belts, coal mines saturated Talcher sub-division recorded 324 AQI.
Similarly, green-lush forest encircled Baripada recorded 304, placing them in the “Very Poor” category.
The two other places among the top five polluted spots in India were Haldia in Kolkata with 319 AQI and Rupnagar in Punjab at 311.
For reference, New Delhi’s AQI was 218 today, significantly lower than Odisha’s worst-affected towns.
However, other places in the State witnessed slightly better air quality. Among the twin cities, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar recorded a “Poor” AQI rating.
Bhubaneswar witnessed an index value of 239, and the major pollutants found were PM2.5. Similarly, Cuttack had an index value of 262, and the major pollutant found was also PM2.5.
Yesterday, Angul had registered an AQI of 303, while Talcher was at 336, becoming threats for the denizens.
