Hyderabad: Consistent rainfall over the past few weeks has cleaned up the city’s air, allowing citizens to breathe a little easier. Constant showers have resulted in levels of microscopic particles in the air steadily dropping in the month of July, said a report from the Telangana State Pollution Control Board.
“With the coming of rains, the wet conditions ensure that the particles in the air are reduced to the ground level,” said environmentalist Dr WG Prasanna Kumar, in a report published in Telangana Today.
The reduction of these particles could positively affect people suffering from respiratory issues. Dr Lakshmi Tejaswi, a doctor from the city said “When the particles remain in the air, they have the potential to trigger asthma and other chronic pulmonary diseases.”
These particles are made up of microscopic dust, soot, metals, smoke, nitrates, sulfates and other chemicals suspended in the air and the quality of air is determined by the levels of these pollutants. The reduction in the level of these particles can also imply a decreased chance of respiratory issues.
Out of the six National Air Quality Monitoring Program (NAMP) stations, five places showed reduction in PM10 levels, with the one at Balanagar registering the highest difference.
The PM10 levels at the NAMP station there dropped from 133 to 62 between the first and third weeks of July. Only the NAMP station at Jubilee Hills showed an increase from 57 to 86.
However, of the 12 State Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (SAAMP) stations, the one at Madhapur showed the highest reduction, from 73 to 30. All the other stations highlighted a decrease as well.