‘Air pollution to shoot up during Diwali’

The national ambient air quality standards are kept as the baseline criteria so that an air quality index for pollutants like CO,nitrogen oxides,sulphur dioxides and particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5) can be calculated. Air quality and weather information will be displayed through LED display boards at ten locations in the city.

Particles less than ten micrometres in diameter (PM 10) can cause serious health problems,and the source includes all types of combustion.

Dr Gufran Beig,Director of SAFAR,said if the amount of fire crackers used last year was estimated to be the same this year as well,then based on scientific data,SAFAR has predicted both PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels would cross the permissible limits at several areas in the city.(See chart).

At Hadapsar,the PM 10 level is predicted to rise up to 230.41-microgram-per-metre cube on November 3,when the permissible level is just 100-microgram-per-metre cube. The PM 2.5 level will also rise up to 96.53-microgram-per-metre cube,while the permissible level is 60-microgram-per-metre cube. Other places in the city will also witness a rise in particulate pollution. At Shivajinagar,too,the PM 10 level will be as high as 227.78-microgram-per-metre cube on November 3,while PM 2.5 level will rise upto 115.31 microgram-per-metre cube.

Other places like Pashan,Lohegaon,Bhosari,Katraj,Nigdi and Manjri would also witness a rise in particulate pollution during Diwali,Beig said. The frequency of wind also plays a crucial part in the distribution of pollutants,he added.