Three years ago Mangalore was recognised as the one of the cleanest cities in our Nation. But that seems to be a myth, as the ongoing constructions and repairs are drastically increasing the dust and pollution in the city. The Air Quality Index(AQI) thus is on the verge of hitting a century mark. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data indicated the AQI of the city to be 89, recently.
As per the standards by CPCB the AQI ranging between 100-200 is considered to be moderate, causing uneasiness and difficulty in breathing among people with asthma, heart and lung diseases.Whereas AQI at 50 and below is categorised as good and 50-100 as satisfactory signifying that it will cause breathing problem only to sensitive people.
The data from the private websites indicate the Mangalore air to have an AQI of 107 and 139. But the CPCB data indicates AQI 89 that is two points less than Bengaluru(91) AQI.The major contributing factors for this higher AQI of Mangalore are particulate matters and fine particulates matter.
The major sources for such worsened air condition lies within the heart of the city, as incomplete road and drainage works in the commercial hotspots of the town. Apart from this, the halt in the work of Smart-City project due the nation wide pandemic has led to an increase in dusty air. Forced to breath the polluted air, covid -19 precautionary masks have indeed come to handy.
Even the health experts comply with these reports on deteriorating air conditions.The reports on patients with breathing problems, cough,cold and allergies has observed a significant increase in recent today.Though cold and other symptoms are a common sight during winter, this year the degree seems to level up. It has majorly affected the people with low immunity.
People must consider this higher AQI as an indication of the worst tomorrow. It is our responsibility to revive ‘Namma Kudla’ back on the top, in the list of cleanest cities.
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