Bhubaneswar: The air quality in three Odisha towns continues to remain poor and the air quality index of Balasore is worse than that of New Delhi. According to the AQI released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 4.00 pm on Tuesday, the average AQI of Balasore was 406 (severe) compared to 371 (very poor) in New Delhi.
Similarly, the AQI in Odisha’s Baripada was 355 (very poor), and that in Angul was 314 (very poor). The air quality in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack was 274 (poor) and 252 (poor), respectively. The AQI in Talcher too was 244 (poor).
The poor air quality in these Odisha towns has been attributed to the dense foggy conditions, pollutants from heavy road traffic, and industrial and mining activities. Dense fog prevents the pollutants from escaping the stratosphere causing the AQI to deteriorate.
