Ahmedabad air judged among most dusty in the country

AHMEDABAD: Of the 13 cities in the country whose air quality index (AQI) is measured daily by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), five— including Ahmedabad — face a severe problem of suspended particulate pollution. The problem is the increasing prevalence of particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less in the city air. The other four cities which face a similar problem are Hyderabad, Kanpur, Pune and Varanasi. The pollution levels are marked 'moderate' in the AQI — this means that the air can cause breathing discomfort to people and also asthma.

According to the recorded AQI, by Wednesday 8 pm, particulate matter (2.5) levels in Hyderabad and Kanpur were almost that of Ahmedabad. "The high density of factories in the vicinity of Ahmedabad and the burning Pirana dump yard is one of the main reasons why Ahmedabad has high PM2.5 levels," said a senior GPCB official. Ahmedabad also witnesses a lot of fine dust in the air breathed by people, said the official. The AQI index is available for all days and is released by the CPCB at 5 pm.