Hyderabad: Even before the celebration of Diwali festival, the air of Hyderabad was found with a staggering level of toxins. Bursting crackers on different festivals and weddings contribute the pollutants to the air.
The Telangana State Pollution Control Board conducted a test to check the air quality ahead of Diwali and they found an increased level of particulate matter (PM), reports Deccan Chronicle.
The industrial-cum-residential area, Sanath Nagar, saw the particulate matter 2.5 level spikes to 43 micrograms per metre cube in October. At rush hours, the pollution level went up to 66 micrograms per unit, which is highly unhealthy as per the Air Quality Index, a private website that follows the WHO standard.
Supreme court has put a ban on fireworks in the capital city, where the range of PM was found 150-160 on Saturday at 7:30 pm. While in Hyderabad, the toxins were at 176 points, more than that in Delhi. As per the experts, the rate will go up as each cracker adds upto 10,000 micrograms of PM2.5 to the air.
City Police Commissioner M. Mahendar Reddy, IPS, prohibited bursting of fireworks/crackers on roads and at public places during Deepavali Festival from 6 am on October 17 to 6 am on October 20.
He said that in accordance with the direction of the Supreme Court there shall be a complete ban on bursting sound emitting firecrackers on the public roads and public places in the Twin Cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad between 10 pm to 6 am.