Meghalaya: 8th March: The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has unveiled concerning air pollution levels in Northeast Indian cities in its February 2024 monthly air quality report.
Byrnihat, located on the border of Meghalaya and Assam, emerged as India’s most polluted city, recording a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 183 µg/m3. This exceeds the PM2.5 levels of the second most polluted city, Araria in Bihar, by approximately 60 µg/m3.
Furthermore, Byrnihat’s PM2.5 levels were almost 1.8 times higher than Delhi’s during the same period. Additional Northeastern cities among the 30 most polluted included Nalbari, Agartala, Guwahati, and Nagaon.
Out of the 11 cities equipped with Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in the northeastern states, six surpassed the daily National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
In contrast, Sivasagar, Silchar, Aizawl, and Imphal were identified as the cleanest cities in the region. Sivasagar ranked as India’s second cleanest city, followed by Silchar at the 23rd position. However, none of these cities met the WHO-safe guideline concentrations for PM2.5.
Sunil Dahiya, a South Asia Analyst at CREA, emphasized the urgency of enhancing air quality monitoring and implementing aggressive pollution control measures in the northeastern states. He highlighted the escalating threats posed to public health and the economy by unregulated industrial operations, inadequate public transportation infrastructure, and unchecked construction activities.
Dahiya stressed the critical need for immediate action to mitigate pollution emissions at their source, ensuring the well-being of both public health and the economic stability of the region.
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