GUWAHATI: The air quality of Guwahati entered the ‘Very Poor’ category today morning, January 14 with an AQI of 308, as per the data on Central Pollution Control Board website, with the primary pollutant in the air being PM 2.5 matter, at the average of 308, with the lowest at being 185 and highest hitting as far as 407.
The average air quality recorded in Guwahati on Friday, 13 January was 273 in the very poor category, as per the AQI bulletin released by CPCB. The air quality worsened today as the city witnessed a gloomy morning on Uruka with foggy weather and low visibility, while people stepped out to visit the Uruka markets across the city.
The current air quality suggests that prolonged exposure may cause respiratory illnesses, while people with lung or heart diseases will be more affected, as per the Central Pollution Control Board.
The air quality of Guwahati has been fluctuating between 'poor' and 'very poor' category since the beginning of this year as the AQI showed the average air quality being 334 on January 1, 2023 in the 'very poor' category and at 244 in the 'poor' category on January 8.
Currently, there are four air quality monitoring stations in Guwahati that measure the air quality of the city in real time.
The quality of air is becomes worse during winters as the way the air mixes with the surface of the earth gets cooler, and the cold air forms a blanket around the surface and forces the warm air to rise up. The cold air blanket traps pollutants with a higher density and as cold air circulates less than warm air, the pollutants get trapped near the ground and the quality of air becomes worse.