Visakhapatnam Air Quality Worsens: PM10 Levels Spike by 32.9%

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is a government initiative used to calculate the amount of air pollution increase or decrease in cities and initiate countermeasures to control air pollution. The programme uses 2017-18 PM10 levels as a measure to analyze the development in air quality. Based on the research conducted, 25 out of 130 cities have shown a steady decline in their air pollution index. In the 25 cities, Visakhapatnam is the only city from Andhra Pradesh with elevated PM10 levels, experiencing a 32.9% increase. The city is just behind Aurangabad, which has shown an increase of 33.3%.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Kiriti Vardhan Singh, presented this increase in air pollution data in the Lok Sabha. While Visakhapatnam has shown an increase in air pollution, the districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram have seen increases in PM10 levels, at 2.8% and 14.5%, respectively.

Cities in Andhra Pradesh

Other cities in Andhra Pradesh have shown significant improvement according to NCAP. The leading cities are Rajamundry with 30.6%, Vijayawada with 29.7%, Kadapa with 25.3%, Kurnool with 24.1%, Anatapur with 23.1%, and Nellore with 20.3%. These cities have controlled air pollution by incorporating the measures laid out by the government programme. While not a huge improvement, cities like Chittoor (14.3%), Eluru (11.1%), and Ongole (10.8%) have exhibited progress in controlling industrial compliance, vehicle emissions, and dust control.

The increase in PM10 levels and air pollution in Visakhapatnam can be related to the limited expenditure of the allotted funds for pollution control. It should be noted that the city has spent only Rs 39.6 crore out of the Rs 129.4 crore fund. Other cities like Kurnool, Eluru, Guntur, and Srikakulam, that spent the pollution control funds and have seen an improvement in the PM10 levels.

The main factor for air pollution in Visakhapatnam are industrial emissions among other factors like road dust, construction activities, emissions from vehicles, and burning of biomass.

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has a set goal of achieving a reduction of 40% in 2017 PM10 level concentrations by 2026.No state in Andhra Pradesh has achieved this ambitious score. The initial target aimed for a deduction of 20-30%, which cities like Anantapur, Kurnool, Nellore, Kadapa, Rajahmundry, and Vijayawada have reached.

Prospective Solutions

Vardhan Singh urged to develop strategies for Visakhapatnam, which has multiple upcoming projects like an airport, rail, and metro networks. He stressed the need for sustainable ecosystems to ensure these areas are livable and well-equipped for the public.

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