Air quality in 6 Odisha towns slips to ‘very poor’ category; Balasore more polluted than Delhi

Priya Ranjan Swain Published On : Jan 7, 2024 at 9:17 PM

Bhubaneswar: The air quality in at least six urban areas of Odisha was categorised as very poor by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) today (January 7).

The air quality in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Baripada, Keonjhar and Rairangpur has been placed under very poor category by the CPCB.

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The Air Quality Index (AQI) value for Bhubaneswar was 311 today while it was 320 in Cuttack, 334 in Balasore, 316 in Baripada, 314 in Keonjhar and 308 in Rairangpur, said the CPCB data.

The air pollution in Odisha’s Balasore is more alarming than that of Delhi, where the index value was 333 today.

Prolonged exposure to very poor quality air may cause respiratory illness among the people. Similarly, prolonged exposure to poor quality air may cause breathing discomfort to people, said an expert.

The Forest, Environment and Climate Change department earlier claimed that the air quality in a few urban areas of Odisha has deteriorated due to temporary reasons, including construction activities.