Bhubaneswar: The air quality at Odisha’s Talcher town was described as ‘very poor’ by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) today.

The CPCB described the air quality at Talcher as very poor in its Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI value for Talcher was 312, said the CPCB data.

Apart from Talcher, the air quality at Byrnihat in Meghalaya and Barrackpore in West Bengal was described as very poor by the CPCB.

The AQI value for Byrnihat was 392 while it was 304 for Barrackpore.

As per the AQI data, the air pollution at Talcher was more alarming that of Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. According to the data, Talcher is the second most polluted town in the country.

Prolonged exposure to very poor-quality air may cause respiratory illness among the people. Similarly, people may develop breathing discomfort due to prolonged exposure to poor quality air, said the CPCB.