Air quality in Amravati

Are there high pollution levels present in Amaravati?

Amaravati is an Indian city located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, being counted as the legislative capital as well as the seat of governance. Andhra Pradesh itself sits in the south-eastern coastal region of India, with Amaravati being adjacent to the Krishna River, one of the largest rivers in India after other great ones such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Godavari. Looking at the levels of air quality present in 2020 as well as years prior, it can be seen that Amaravati is subject to some less than perfect pollution levels.

Whilst it does not rank as highly as some of the other cities in India, it still manages to come in within the top 500 most polluted cities worldwide, as of 2020, with PM2.5 readings that indicated a poor level of air quality, with certain months having readings that went up to dangerous heights, bringing with them numerous health issues. These issues would become more apparent in certain members of the population, with these at-risk groups being highly susceptible to the respiratory and cardiac effects that high pollution can bring.

Observing the air quality collected in late May of 2021, it can be seen that Amaravati came in with a US AQI reading of 67. This placed it into the ‘moderate’ air pollution ratings bracket, which is color coded as yellow, and requires a reading of anywhere between 51 to 100 to be classified as moderately polluted. According to the guidelines set out by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), any reading between 0 to 150 is classified as being within the acceptable range, containing within it three different ratings brackets (‘good’, ‘moderate’ and ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ at the higher end).

The reading of 67 that was taken in Amaravati may present some health issues for those vulnerable groups, but the general public as a whole may remain unaffected. These US AQI readings are aggregated from the main different pollutants found in the air, namely ones such as ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) as well as the two main particulate matters, PM2.5 and PM10.

PM2.5 is by far the more dangerous of the two, and is actually considered as one of the most harmful forms of pollution, both in Amaravati and worldwide. As a result, PM2.5 can be used as a prominent measure in its own right, often used to calculate yearly averages of pollution, as well as the months of the year. Of note is that it uses the same ratings system as the US AQI one, albeit with different units required per rating, with measures of PM2.5 being taken in micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³).

Looking at other readings of US AQI that were taken over the course of May in 2021, it can be seen that Amaravati was fortunate enough to have many days come in with clean levels of air quality, with readings going as low as 12 and 14, indicating a ‘good’ level of air quality. However, highs of 102 and 141 were also taken, showing that the city is subject to days that have large elevations in their pollution level, thus making the air quality somewhat hazardous for vulnerable individuals. The use of preventative measures such as wearing fine particle filtering masks and avoiding outdoor activity may become ever more pertinent during these periods of high pollution.

What causes such high pollution readings in Amaravati?

The main causes of air pollution in Amaravati are ones such as emissions from cars, motorbikes, tuk tuk’s and heavier freight vehicles such as trucks and lorries. With an increase in industry and economy often comes a boom in car use, leading to large amounts of pollution being released into the air as a result.

Vehicles are considered as one of the leading sources of pollution throughout the state of Andhra Pradesh, and this remains true for the city of Amaravati. Many of these vehicles would be running on lower quality fuel, as well as the vehicle models themselves being extremely aged and worn down, leading to a larger amount of oil vapors and noxious chemical compounds and particles being released as a result.

Other major sources of pollution include construction sites, which can release all manner of fine particles, as well as heavy metals such as mercury and lead. Emissions from factories and power plants also remains one of the more prominent offenders alongside vehicle fumes, along with the open burning of refuse and waste.

Is it dangerous to breathe large amounts of polluted air in Amaravati?

Some health effects that come along with breathing the air in Amaravati during periods of high pollution include ones such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an umbrella term that includes within it many different respiratory ailments such as pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma.

Other issues include irritation and aggravation to the skin and exposed mucous membranes, along with inflammation to the respiratory tract and the lining of the lungs. Respiratory infections can increase, along with more serious conditions such as heart attacks, cancer of the lungs and skin, ischemic heart disease, and death.

When does Amaravati experience its worst air pollution levels?

With the information from 2020 being used as a measure of air pollution levels in Amaravati, it can be seen that the months of January and December were the most polluted, coming in with readings of 40.1 μg/m³ and 70.4 μg/m³.

This placed January in the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ bracket, as well as placing December into the ‘unhealthy’ ratings bracket, with its reading of 70.4 μg/m³ making it the most polluted month of the year by a significant amount, and the only month in 2020 to achieve the unhealthy status.

Has the air quality seen any improvements in Amaravati?

With the air quality from past years on hand, it can be seen that pollution levels have followed a good trend of improving from 2018 to 2020. The PM2.5 reading in 2018 was 35.6 μg/m³ as its yearly bracket, followed by an improved reading of 33 μg/m³ in 2019, and then a further reading of 28.9 μg/m³ in 2020.

This reading place Amaravati in 98^th place out of all cities ranked in India, as well as in 421^st place out of all cities ranked worldwide. Whilst it still has a way to go to see safer air quality, it has shown a marked improvement, indicating that it is moving in the right direction.