Less pollution this Diwali in Raipur

The Times of India , Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Correspondent : Anuja Jaiswal
RAIPUR: With sale of crackers down by at least 30 per cent this Diwali, the levels of noise and air pollution in the city were significantly less than the previous years, even though they remained higher than the permissible limits.

Call it the 'arhar' (lentils) effect or people getting more conscious about 'green' Diwali, the data collected by the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB), indicated a fall in levels of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) or PM10, Oxide of Nitrogen (NO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), which are associated with respiratory disorders, across the city. In fact the PM 10 levels were down by almost 100 micrograms per cubic meter on an average, at 176, as compared to 271 last year.

According to officials, air pollution levels remained above the limit of the national ambient air quality standards, which state that the atmosphere must not contain more than 100 micrograms of PM10, 80 micrograms of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and 80 micrograms of sulphur dioxide (SO2) per cubic metre of air. For recording the pollution levels, the city is divided into three zones, commercial, residential and sensitive.

The sensitive zones include hospitals, educational institutions and religious places. The data recording centres this year were located at AIIMS hospital, Shankar Nagar, Raipur Collectorate, and Kotwali.

According to data collected between 6 pm to 12 midnight on Diwali, the PM10 in the air was registered at 176, which was higher than the standard safe limit of 100 micrograms per cubic meter, but lesser than 271 recorded last year.

As per the figures, the drop in PM 10 levels at the recording centre at Raipur Collectorate was the highest at 118 micrograms per cubic meter, down from 295 in 2014 to 177 this year. This was followed by the recording centre at AIIMS which witnessed a fall from 246 in 2014 to 158 this Diwali.

Similarly, PM10 levels also dropped near the residential areas of Shankar Nagar from 273 to 168 this year. The congested old town of Kotwali witnessed the highest PM 10 levels of 204, thanks to the larger concentration of people. As far as noise levels are concerned, they also registered a fall, even though they remained above the night time prescribed limits of 70 decibels (dB) for industrial, 55 dB for commercial, 45 dB for residential areas and 40 dB for silence zones.

At AIIMS, the noise levels were recorded at 79 (dB), as compared to 83.95 dB in 2014. At Shankar Nagar the levels were at 88.5 dB, marginally higher than 85.86 dB last year. The data also showed a decline in presence of oxides of nitrogen (NO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels, which harm respiratory conditions and reduce lung function. Though the maximum average of NO2 and SO2 shot up to 30 and 20 at AIIMS and 33 and 22 respectively at Shanker Nagar, they remained below the prescribed standard limits and lower than last year.

Meanwhile, cracker wholesalers in the city revealed that their sales were much lower than the previous Diwali. Talking to TOI, Hazi Mohammad Siddiqui Hasan, a wholesaler, said sales were down by almost 30 percent this year.

TOI reported on Diwali eve that the celebrations were likely to be subdued due to high prices of dal and other essential commodities, which many say had upset their household budgets, leaving almost nothing to spend lavishly.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/Less-pollution-this-Diwali-in-Raipur/articleshow/49828420.cms
 


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