Air quality in Bawshar

Does Bawshar have a high level of air pollution?

Bawshar is located in Muscat, in the Northeast region of Oman. It is a city that sees high levels of pollution throughout the year, enough to put it into the upper reaches of the most polluted cities ranked worldwide. This is of great detriment to its citizens, with many unpleasant and dangerous side effects all presenting themselves to individuals who are subject to over exposure to these heightened levels of pollution. Such spells or bouts can bring about large clouds of hazardous particulate matter, both of the fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) variety, as well as heavy amounts of smoke, vehicle fumes, haze and smog.

Looking at some figures on record from both past and present, one can get a clearer idea of the levels of air pollution occurring within Bawshar. In May of 2021, Bawshar presented with a US AQI reading of 97, a reading that would place it into the higher end of the ‘moderate’ pollution bracket. This indicates that on the particular day and time in which the reading was taken, the air would be moderately filled with pollution, not enough to set off any major environmental alarm bells, but enough to cause discomfort to sensitive people or those who have pre-existing health conditions.

Whilst being moderately polluted isn’t means for immediate concern, looking back at the days and months on record prior to this reading, it can be seen that there were many US AQI readings that soared past this moderate number of 97 as mentioned above. US AQI refers to the air quality index as set to American standards, which are generally used due to the much more stringent rating systems in place.

US AQI is a composite number formed by the various main pollutants found in the air, and thus used to calculate the overall US AQI number. Some pollutants used in this calculation include the previously mentioned particulate matter, PM2.5 and PM10, as well as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and ozone (O₃).

Previous levels of polluted air on record were ones such as 115, 118 and 130, all of which fell into the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups bracket’. As the name implies, the air quality on these particular days would cause aggravations or flare ups of certain ailments such as asthma or bronchitis, and can cause many other issues for certain groups, with young children being subject to developmental issues, damage to their nervous system or allergies and rashes all presenting themselves.

Other vulnerable groups include the elderly or infirm, those with a hypersensitivity towards certain chemical pollutants, pregnant mothers, as well as those in general poor health or with a sedentary lifestyle and accompanying bad habits such as smoking.

Going up even further over both April and May, other high readings of 152, 153 and 155 were all present. These are within the ‘unhealthy’ pollution rating, which indicates a level of pollution in the air that would be damaging to even healthy young adults or those without prior conditions. Observing this record of the US AQI readings taken over 2021, one can see that a majority of the days fell either into the unhealthy rating or unhealthy for sensitive groups, with moderately polluted being more of a rarity. As such, Bawshar can be considered as a highly polluted city.

Preventative measures such as the closing of windows and doors, avoiding outdoor activity or strenuous exercise, as well as wearing fine particle filtering masks can be extremely helpful in keeping oneself safe from these spikes in air pollution. Such levels can be followed using air quality maps, present at the top of this page, as well as via the AirVisual app for hourly updates.

What causes polluted air in Bawshar?

Bawshar has a wide variety of polluting agents all occurring within the city, causing these high levels of US AQI on record. As well as those readings, yearly PM2.5 averages are another prominent way to ascertain the level of harmful particulate matter present in the air. PM2.5 refers to particles that are 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, and although they are one of the factors used in calculating the overall US AQI, they are also a prominent measure of air pollution in their own right.

Their incredibly small size allows them to make their way deep into the lung tissue, causing damage to lung capacity as well as crossing over the blood barrier and entering the blood stream, which can wreak havoc on an individual’s health. In 2020, Bawshar came in with a PM2.5 yearly average of 44.4 μg/m³. This placed it into the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ bracket, as well as putting it in 149^th place for most polluted cities ranked worldwide.

The main sources of these high pollution readings are industrial emissions, with the combustion of coal, diesel and natural gas as well as the extraction of other materials such as crude oil being major contributors. Others include dust and super finely ground sand particles being blown into the city, along with construction sites and vehicle emissions making up a large majority of what goes into these readings.

When does Bawshar see its highest levels of pollution?

Observing the data collected over 2020, one can see that June through to August had the highest readings of PM2.5, coming in at 74.4 μg/m³, 66.6 μg/m³ and 67.2 μg/m³ respectively. This made June the most polluted month of the year by a significant amount.

Does the air quality improve at all in Bawshar?

Contrary to the highest months of air pollution, January, as well as October to December all saw the lowest levels of PM2.5, all of which sat nicely in the ‘moderate’ rating bracket. The cleanest month was January, with a reading of 17.8 μg/m³.

What are some health problems from breathing polluted air in Bawshar?

Skin problems can present themselves to those who suffer from over exposure, with conditions such as rashes, irritation to the mucous membranes (eyes, nose and mouth), acne, atopic dermatitis and eczema all presenting themselves, or worsening in individuals who already have such conditions.

Others include more serious illnesses such as ischemic heart disease, higher risk of stroke or heart attacks, as well as a variety of respiratory ailments such as dry coughs and chest pain, along with pneumonia, bronchitis and emphysema.