Amid clear skies, Bengaluru's AQI still “poor”

Even though Bengaluru's AQI was at a “good” level of 40 on Thursday, the city saw “poor” AQI levels of 144 on Friday morning despite witnessing clear skies in several areas, with its major pollutants being carbon monoxide and PM10.

Bengaluru city saw “poor” AQI levels on Friday morning despite having a clear blue sky in many areas. The 'Garden City' had an AQI of 144 at 7:05 am, which went down to 128 at about 8:57 am, data on AQI.in said. This comes after the city recorded “good” AQI levels on Thursday, at an average of about 40. Most areas in Bengaluru had "poor" air quality levels on Friday with six areas at “moderate”.

Don't let the clear skies fool you. Bengaluru's AQI is yet to recover.

The current PM2.5 concentration - indicating air pollutants - in the city is 4.3 times above the recommended limit given by the World Health organisation's (WHO) 24-hour air quality guidelines value, the website added. The major pollutants in the city on Friday morning were: PM10 (53) and carbon monoxide (258), with PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide being the other pollutants.

In comparison to the Karnataka capital, Agartala was the most polluted city in the country with 259 AQI, whereas Purnia and Begusarai - both in Bihar - were at second and third position, at 230 and 220 AQI levels, respectively. On the other hand, Kilkunda (Tamil Nadu), Ootacamund (Tamil Nadu) and Belur, (Karnataka) were the least polluted, with AQIs ranging from 25 to 32, as of 7:05 am.

AQI levels in Bengaluru have been above “poor” and “unhealthy” levels since October, especially due to the winter effect combined with Deepawali celebrations. An official from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) had said natural air purification was being prevented by the cloud cover, which does not allow wind movement. Air quality in the city is expected to go up to healthier levels if clear skies persist.

According to the air quality forecast, Bengaluru AQI levels could be at 128 on Saturday and ease to levels below 100 thereafter.