1. Byrnihat and Nalbari were identified as the Northeast’s most polluted cities in the February 2024 CREA survey.
2. Despite pollution worries, Sivasagar shines as India’s second cleanest city.
3. CREA’s findings highlight regional disparities in air quality, urging a focus on pollution mitigation efforts.
Guwahati, March 10: In the Northeast region of India, Byrnihat and Nalbari have emerged as the most polluted cities, according to the latest monthly air quality survey conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) in February 2024.
However, amidst concerns over deteriorating air quality, Sivasagar stands out as a beacon of cleanliness, being recognized as the second cleanest city in the country.
Byrnihat, situated on the border of Meghalaya and Assam, topped the list as the most polluted city in India, with a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 183 µg/m3.
This measurement was significantly higher than that of Araria in Bihar, the country’s second most polluted city.
Shockingly, Byrnihat’s PM2.5 levels were nearly 1.8 times greater than those recorded in Delhi during the same period, despite the capital city’s notorious air quality issues.
Joining Byrnihat at the top of the pollution list, Nalbari secured the fifth position with concerning PM2.5 levels.
Additionally, other cities in the Northeast, including Agartala (12th), Guwahati (19th), and Nagaon (28th), featured among the 30 most polluted cities in India for February 2024. This alarming trend underscores the worsening air pollution crisis gripping the region.
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Of the 11 cities equipped with Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in the Northeast, six recorded PM2.5 levels surpassing the daily National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This indicates a pressing need for enhanced air quality monitoring infrastructure to effectively track pollution levels.
However, amidst the grim pollution scenario, there are glimmers of hope. Cities like Sivasagar, Silchar, Aizawl, and Imphal recorded PM2.5 concentrations below the NAAQS, earning recognition as some of the cleanest cities in the region.
Sivasagar, in particular, emerged as the second cleanest city in India, with Silchar following closely at the 23rd position.
Despite these achievements, none of the cities met the safe guideline concentrations for PM2.5 set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sunil Dahiya, a South Asia analyst at CREA, stressed the urgency of bolstering air quality monitoring efforts in the Northeast.
He highlighted the detrimental impact of unregulated industrial activities, inadequate public transportation infrastructure, and unchecked construction projects on the region’s environment.
Dahiya emphasized the need for proactive measures to curb pollution emissions at their source, safeguarding both public health and the region’s economic prosperity.
