Bhubaneswar: The air quality in five places in Odisha continues to be ‘very poor’ with the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Angul (357) being higher than New Delhi (343) and only second to Noida (359).
According to the Air Quality Index released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 4.00 pm on Tuesday, the AQI in Balasore was 338, while that in Baripada was 321, 334 in Bhubaneswar and 338 in Cuttack. The air quality in all these places has been categorised as ‘very poor’.
Every winter, the air quality deteriorates in Angul owing to coal dust in the atmosphere. Kaniha, Talcher, and Chendipada in Angul district of Odisha are coal mining areas and during transportation, coal dust escapes to the atmosphere making the air quality poor.
Dense fog, rampant construction and industrial activities, traffic, and other environmental issues are said to be the reason behind the deteriorating air quality in some places in Odisha.
