Amid controversies over air quality and rising pollution levels in Raipur city, the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) released the air quality data collected from various 'online continuous ambient air monitoring stations' here on Friday.
The CECB officials while rejecting reports released by various private institutions claiming huge rise of air pollution levels in Raipur informed that the online continuous ambient air monitoring stations were established at NIT Raipur campus, Collectorate Building, GMR Chowk, Naya Raipur and at the Regional Office of Chhattisgarh Housing Board (CGHB) at Kabir Nagar.
According to CECB officials, the atmospheric air quality at CGHB building Kabir Nagar on November 10 was 120.00 RSPM (PM10) micro grams per cubic metre. likewise, the PM 2.5 particulates was 54.16 micro grams per cubic metre. Similarly, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide level was recorded 20.08 and 34.84 micro grams per cubic metre.
Notably, 'Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter' (RSPM) are particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 micrometers, thus also named as PM10. They are produced from combustion processes, vehicles and industrial sources.
They can cause broad range of health effect, in particular respiratory and cardiovascular illness. The accepted level of PM10 level in air is 100 micro grams per cubic metre.
Further, at NIT Raipur on Friday 11.50 am PM10 was 180.0; PM2.5 was 95.0, sulfur dioxide 35.0 and nitrogen dioxide was 24.39 micro grams per cubic metre.
At GMR Chowk Naya Raipur around 11.30 am on Friday PM10 level was 274.0 micro grams per cubic metre; PM2.5 at 148.0; sulfur dioxide was 15.16 micro grams per cubic metre and nitrogen dioxide at 11.12 micro grams per cubic metre.
At Collectorate Complex Raipur PM10 level was 209.45; PM 2.5 was at 91.63, sulfur dioxide was at 82.63 and nitrogen dioxide was at 20.40 micro grams per cubic metre.
The CECB officials further claimed that the inordinate values of pollution levels in Raipur that some organizations were propagating were not true.
Officials said that the instruments used for measuring air pollution should be calibrated and according to the National Physical laboratory, the data about air pollution released by some organizations are not true.