As per a study report released by Greenpeace India, Visakhapatnam stands first as the most polluted city in South India. The PM 2.5 and PM 10 (Particulate Matter) values have exceeded the safety standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) by seven times. Air samples had been collected and analysed based on the population and other factors. The report was to analyse the data collected by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) from ten cities of South India with pollution levels exceeding the latest WHO guidelines.
This data on air pollution was collected from Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Mangalore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Amaravati, Puducherry, Coimbatore, and Mysore. It was collected was from 20 November 2020 to 20 November 2021. A detailed report was then put together based on the air quality standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). As per the WHO guidelines, the annual PM 10 value of the air quality standard was set to be 15 µg/m3. But this value has been exceeded by seven times in Visakhapatnam, thereby making it the most polluted city in South India.
According to the report, the primary contributors to worsening the air quality are fossil fuel-powered industries, waste burning activities and construction activities. The city’s location also has added to making Visakhapatnam the most polluted city. As it is located in a topographical bowl, formed by hill ranges, there is no escape route for the pollution in the air. The main cause is the spreading of polluted air, from factories, throughout the city. Unscientific disposal of waste, ambient air quality reaching a critical level, and high levels of ammonia and nitrogen in the atmosphere are damaging the air.
Now, the level of pollution has aggravated due to the development of Pharma city, Special Economic Zones (SEZ), and other chemical industries. Earlier there was also a gas leak in Visakhapatnam that had occurred at the LG Polymers Plant. All these have combined in effecting the air quality, thereby turning Visakhapatnam into the most polluted city in South India.
Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mangalore, and Amaravati are a few other cities that recorded data that exceeded the limit of the WHO guidelines for safe air. Therefore a number of cities in South India are getting highly polluted and indirectly raising complications, related to health, in people.
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