Pollution bomb ticks in toxic blanket

HYDERABAD: The massive calls for a pollution-free Diwali failed to yield any result with the festival night reporting a sharp rise in air pollution levels in Hyderabad. Data released by the

Telangana State Pollution Control Board

(TSPCB), on Friday showed how the particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels in the city soared drastically on Thursday evening — in comparison to the same day last year — and touched a high 112 microgram per cubic metre (ug/m3).

The count, during Diwali 2016, was 91ug/m3. Similarly, PM 10 levels too shot up from 146 ug/m3 in 2016 to 158 ug/m3 in 2017. As per standards set by the

Central Pollution Control Board

, the permissible limit for PM 2.5 and PM 10 for residential, industrial and rural areas is 60 ug/m3 and 100 ug/m3 respectively. Usually, the ‘normal’ PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels in the city stand at 53 ug/m3 and 87 ug/m3 , revealed the TSPCB data.

Ringing the alarm bells, city pulmonologists and environmentalists said how the increased presence of PM 2.5 is extremely hazardous, as these are particles small enough to enter one’s lungs and exposure to the pollutant has several short and long-term health effects. Not surprisingly then, doctors reported a spurt in cases of asthmatic attack, post Diwali. “We have noticed that an increasing number of patients who fall in the highrisk category, which includes senior citizens and people with a past history of respiratory illnesses, have developed breathing difficulties and asthmatic attacks during Diwali, this year.

Short-term exposure to PM 2.5, which are particles fine enough to enter one’s blood stream, causes difficulty in breathing, acute bronchitis and respiratory tract infections. Effects of long-term exposure to PM 2.5 includes chronic bronchitis and an onset of severe asthma,” said Dr P V Keshav Gurunath Kumar, senior interventional pulmonologist at Maxcure Hospitals in Madhapur. Apart from the particulate matter levels,

PCB

data also showed how the presence of other pollutants in the air such as SO2 (Sulphur Dioxide) and NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen) too spiralled past their normal readings, during the festival night. While the SO2 levels in Hyderabad usually remain restricted at around 4.4 ug/m3, on Diwali day, it jumped to 6.1 ug/m3 this time.

NOx levels, meanwhile, stood at 30.0 ug/m3 as against the normally recorded 24-hour average of 24.8 ug/m3, showed official records. Noise levels monitored across 10 stations located across the city’s industrial, residential, commercial and sensitive areas also showed a northward movement. According to the data, while decibel levels remained unchanged during the day time, on Thursday night, the noise levels, particularly in commercial areas such as Abids, Paradise and Sanathnagar and at residential areas such as Jubilee Hills and Tarnaka soared beyond the permissible limits. TSPCB officials attributed the higher noise levels recorded during Diwali night to the bursting of crackers post 10 pm. The night-time average noise level in the city went up to 71 dB this Diwali when compared with 2016 (65 dB).