Although the pandemic trend is receding the mask should be put on not because it is advisable to curb the spread of possible infections, but also to keep health diseases like lung infection, asthma and respiratory problems at bay. As air quality of the city has deteriorated alarmingly in the past few months the day is not far when we will never get rid of the mask and may witness a situation like Delhi, during the dry spell.
In the first 12 days of March, Guwahati’s air quality was stated to be in ‘poor category’ but on March 13, the AQI shot up to 310 while on March 15, it was 308 making the city one of the most polluted places in the country.
To understand if the air quality of Guwahati is going the Delhi way, The Assam Tribune spoke to Dr. Jaideep Baruah, Head In-Charge, Environment Division, Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC), who apprised us about the air quality of the city in line with the national capital.
In March 2022, Guwahati’s air quality index (AQI) was mostly unhealthy and on certain occasions, it surged to very unhealthy levels. While in April it showed a downward trend and it was in the “unhealthy to sensitive to moderate” category. On March 17 the AQI was 217 in the city and in the same period Delhi suffered severely as the air quality was in the unhealthy category since March 14 and on April 13 it was in the “very unhealthy” category with AQI 267, informed Dr Baruah.
“Observing the AQI of both the places it can be said that Guwahati’s air quality remains mostly unhealthy to very unhealthy and later to moderate level whereas, if we look at Delhi, it is still in the unhealthy category. Therefore, it is difficult to equate Guwahati’s AQI with that of Delhi’s level for the entire year. However, from February-March Guwahati’s air pollution level is certainly a matter of concern for all of us,” says Dr Baruah.
Speaking about the major causes leading to the increased pollution levels in Guwahati, Dr Baruah said that dust particles, bio-mass burning and vehicular pollution contribute immensely to the particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the air. The increased levels of both PM 2.5 and PM 10 are major causes of different health issues like lung disease, acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma attack, respiratory problems, reduced lung-function growth in children, etc.
