9 cities in Bihar record ‘very poor’ AQI

According to BSPCB chairman Ashok Ghosh, the air quality worsened due to a dip in the mercury and weather inversion.

PATNA: Fifteen cities across Bihar recorded ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ air quality index (AQI) on Thursday, Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) officials said.

Low visibility in Patna in January 2022. Pollution experts said that unfavourable weather conditions are responsible for worsening AQI in Bihar.

According to BSPCB chairman Ashok Ghosh, the air quality worsened due to a dip in the mercury and weather inversion.

“The air quality has dipped due to a decline in temperature and low wind speed. During the winter transition, a thermal inversion occurs in which suspended pollutant particles rise with the warmer air. Apart from this, the geographical location of the state is also responsible for poor air quality,” he said.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) bulletin, at least nine cities crossed 300-mark and registered ‘very poor’ air quality. Begusarai recorded the worst air quality where its index value stood at 391 followed by Motihari and Siwan with an index value of 387 each. AQI in these three cities inched closer to the ‘severe’ category.

The CPCB classifies an AQI of zero to 50 as ‘good’, 51-100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 as ‘moderate’, 201-300 as ‘poor’, 301-400 as ‘very poor’ and above 401 as ‘severe’.

AQI in other cities namely Bettiah, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Saharsa, Purnea, and Katihar also remained in the ‘very poor’ category.

The capital city Patna registered ‘poor’ AQI where the index value stood at 258, Hajipur 238, Bihar Sharif 239, Chhapra 282, and Muzaffarpur 290.

Pollution experts said that unfavourable weather conditions are responsible for worsening AQI in the state.