Gandhinagar: Ahmedabad and Surat are grappling with rising levels of PM2.5 pollution, earning them a spot among India’s nine most polluted cities in this category, Parliament was informed. While Surat stood third on the list, Ahmedabad was on the sixth spot. Experts caution that while annual averages seem manageable, the situation worsens dramatically during colder months, endangering public health.
In 2023, Surat registered an annual average of 52 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m3), while Ahmedabad’s annual average PM2.5 levels stood at 39 µg/m3.
While India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) have pegged the permissible annual average at 40 µg/m3 for PM2.5, WHO air quality guidelines state that annual average PM2.5 levels should be 5 µg/m3. Emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, oil or wood produce much of the PM2.5 pollution found in outdoor air.
Environment experts say that although annual average PM2.5 concentrations might appear lower, they increase by five or six times in the winter months, reaching extremely unsafe levels and significantly impacting public health.
The Union govt stated that air quality monitoring in terms of PM2.5 levels is being conducted in 454 cities, out of which 246 cities met the NAAQS for the annual average of PM2.5 levels in the year 2023.
“PM2.5 concentration is not solely industrial pollution. Cities like Ahmedabad have registered PM2.5 levels as high as 300 in the winter months. Emissions from building construction and traffic are very high in cities like Ahmedabad. To make matters worse, the green cover has been depleting,” said environmentalist Mahesh Pandya, convener of the city-based NGO Paryavaran Mitra.
