On the 5th of November, Hyderabad witnessed a rise in Particulate Matter (PM) due to the north wind entering the southern part of India, increasing the air pollutants in Hyderabad.
The Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in Hyderabad, around 7:00 P.M., on the 5th of November, recorded a rise in particulate matter (PM) 2.5 level and touched 74 ug/m3. Mg/m3 stands for milligram (mg) per cubic meter and is generally used to measure the pollutants in the air.
PM 2.5 between a range of 0 to 60 ug/m3 falls under the ‘good’ range, whereas PM 2.5 level between 61 and 100 ug/m3 is moderate and above 100 ug/m3 is considered ‘poor.’
The highest level of air pollutants was recorded in Sanathnagar at a level of 109.69 mg/m3. According to CAAQMS, the City recorded the AQI at 169, which is said to be moderate.
However, the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TPCB) said the rise in PM could affect the Air Quality Index of the City, which is 230 as of now.
Subba Rao, a Hyderabad based expert, spoke about the situation and said, “These conditions will only be aggravated with the weather getting colder.”
The reason behind the rise in PM is the wind from the north moving towards the east coast. Delhi recorded a ‘severe plus’ AQI, due to which the Government of India announced a public health emergency in the City. The Delhi Government also implemented the Odd-Even scheme to control the rise in pollution.
Apart from Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu is also affected by the wind from the north, which caused an increase in the PM level in the State.
Stay tuned for further updates.
