Subdued Deepawali and rains keep air pollution at bay in Bangalore

By Qamar ZJ

While North India had ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ air pollution ratings, Bangalore recorded ‘moderate’ to ‘satisfactory’ pollution levels during and after Deepawali (Diwali in North India). This was partly due to subdued celebrations and November 15 evening rains that brought down the pollution loads.

North India more polluted than South India

If you look at the map of India, you will see red (very poor) marks in the north, while it’s at ‘moderate’ and ‘satisfactory’ levels in south India. In Bangalore, only Majestic areas recorded the highest pollution in the city on Saturday and Sunday – it crossed the 100 barrier to fall into the ‘moderate’ category. The other areas that were close to it were Bapuji Nagar, and Hebbal. Interestingly, the air pollution was worse at 8pm on November 9, five days before Deepawali. The areas included Jayanagar (150), Hombegowda Nagar (147), Hebbal (129) and Bapuji Nagar (138). On November 13, the pollution loads creeped towards 100 in the City Railway Station area of Majestic (93) at 7pm. The other areas that came closer were Kadabesanahalli (78), Bapuji Nagar (76), and Peenya (70), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). 

Majestic was most polluted; Silk Board was cleanest

At 9am on November 15, while the city railway station recorded ‘moderate’ pollution at 106, the others that were close to it included Bapuji Nagar, Hebbal and Jayanagar. The areas that recorded ‘good’ levels (under 50) were Kadabesanahalli, Peenya, BTM Layout, Silk Board, Saneguravahalli, and Hombegowda Nagar. It also rained on this day, bringing down the pollution loads.

Severe pollution in North Indian cities

Elsewhere in India, the cities that recorded the highest pollution on November 15 at 4pm were Agra (347), Amritsar (374), Gwalior (322), Kanpur (344), Kurukshetra (372), Lucknow (372), Ludhiana (345), and Meerut (373), among others.  The areas with ‘severe’ air pollution included Baghpat (430, severe pollution), Bulandshahr (427, severe), Delhi (435, severe ), Faridabad (414), Fatehabad (446), Ghaziabad (448), Noida (441), Greater Noida (417), Gurugram (425), and Hisar (441). The areas in India that recorded the lowest pollution levels included Vijayapura (49), Tirupati, Shillong, Ramanagara, Mysore, Madikeri, Eloor, Chikkaballapur, and Chamarajanagar.

Back to normal

Today, the red (very poor) marks in North India have given place to yellow (moderate), while some parts of middle India have turned from yellow to light green (satisfactory). The Majestic area is close to the ‘good’ level at 54 while the areas recording the lowest pollution levels include Kadabesanahalli (29), Silk Board (32), BTM Layout (35), Saneguravahalli (36) and Hebbal (43). All is well that ends well.