2 min readPuneJan 7, 2011 02:51 AM IST
First published on: Jan 7, 2011 at 02:51 AM IST
This winter,the quality of air was just about ‘moderate’,say scientists. According to the air quality monitoring system,Pune’s air was ‘moderate’,while New Delhi continues to be in the ‘poor’ range.
Pollution levels in the city shot up by 10-15 per cent this winter,says Dr Gufran Beig,Programme Director of System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
While SAFAR has been launched in New Delhi with plans to replicate the system in Pune,Beig and his team at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) have consistently been monitoring the air quality.
The monitoring and forecasting is done for major gaseous pollutants like ozone,oxides of nitrogen,carbon monoxide,benzene and other hydrocarbons as well as the particulate matters (PM) of two different sizes as PM-10 and PM-2.5. The forecast of five pollutants is displayed in terms of Air Quality Index (AQI) at a scale of 0-500.
With temperatures dipping 3-4 degrees below normal on several days in the city during December,the air quality was given a ‘moderate’ rating. The level of PM-2.5 pollutant was 60-70 microgram per metre cube,while the PM-10 level was around 90 microgram per metre cube.
However,according to Beig,the monitoring was done at Pashan,which is a semi-urban setting and if the values were high at the outskirts more studies need to be undertaken to find the values in the crowded areas.
Beig explained that this ‘moderate’ air quality,however,could be injurious to people who suffer from asthma. According to scientist Dr Bill Brashier there was a surge in the number of patients who came for a regular check-up this winter with complaints of cough,breathlessness and this was more acute among the patients of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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