Bhubaneswar air is the highly polluted city in Odisha.

Bhubaneswar’s air is highly polluted. Among the seven major polluted cities in Odisha identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Bhubaneswar now ranks first. The air here is starting to get unhealthy. City dwellers are taking in more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and toxic particulates than they are taking in oxygen.

Which invites diseases like heart attacks, respiratory diseases, lung cancer, tuberculosis, asthma. At one time, industrial areas like Kalinganagar, Talcher, Angul were living at the top of the city’s air pollution levels. However, the way the air of the capital is being polluted now, experts have predicted that the risk of Delhi’s situation cannot be ruled out in the future.

The reason for concern is that the air in the more densely populated areas of Bhubaneswar is more polluted. Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) report last October shows that Khandagiri area is highly polluted. Although there are no large industrial establishments here, the air is highly polluted due to the construction work along with the regular movement of heavy goods on National Highway-16. The area near Unit-1 is considered as one of the most sensitive areas.

Here, the air quality index (AQI) of PM-10 is reaching close to 1500. Day by day, the dose of PM-10 in Khandagiri is going up to 1500. The air quality of nearby Palasuni, including the Mancheswar industrial area, is also deteriorating day by day. Experts have expressed the opinion that dust particles flying due to the entry of hundreds of loads into industrial areas every day, vehicles moving on national highways and construction of buildings without restrictions are the main causes of air pollution in this area.

The air condition has also worsened in Rourkela and Cuttack cities. The construction of hundreds of buildings in both cities now poses a threat to the environment. AQI’s PM-10 hit 100 due to dozens in Cuttack in October. According to the review conducted by the Pollution Control Board, the air pollution level remained high during the last 4 days of Dashar while the average was satisfactory. Industrial smoke has been cited as the main reason behind Rourkela’s air pollution.

However, the situation is satisfactory in the industrial area of Kalinganagar district of Jajpur, which has reached the peak of air pollution in the last one decade. AQI PM-10 here was 96 in October. Similarly, the status of Angul, Baleswar, Talcher also remains satisfactory, according to the report issued by the OSPCB. According to the town planner, Bhubaneswar is getting more air pollution due to vehicular traffic.

The air is more polluted especially in areas where there is traffic problem. Under-construction buildings, road excavations, roadside garbage and sand deposits are polluting the city more and more. Most of the roads are under construction but not watered. It is harmful to health. Asthma and cough are the major means of transmission. To prevent this, the state government has to take strict decisions.

7 City AQI (October)
City PM-10
Bhubaneswar 111 Rourkela 101 Cuttack 100 Kalinganagar 96 Talcher 88 Angul 86 Baleswar 67