Hyderabad eight times more polluted in 2023 vis à vis WHO standards

Hyderabad's air quality in 2023 meets national standards but falls far short of WHO guidelines.

Ambient air quality in Hyderabad in 2023 was well within the permissible limits prescribed for the country, yet far worse when compared with the standards advocated by the World Health Organisation.

A report published by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, the city in 2023 had on an average 39.9 µg (microgram) of particulate matter with diameter equal to or less than 2.5 micrometres (referred to as PM 2.5) every cubic metre (m³), almost touching the upper limit of 40 µg/m³. It is, however, an improvement from the previous year, when the PM2.5 was recorded at 42.4 µg/m³.

PM2.5 describes fine inhalable particles that pose great danger to human health by entering the blood stream. The Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards has set the maximum permissible limit of the annual mean concentration of PM2.5 at 40 µg/m³. The standards are not constant; they change based on the technological stature achieved by the country.

As per the WHO standards, Hyderabad falls in the ‘purple zone’ on a colour coded map with the pollution levels ranked by the hues of blue, green, yellow, orange, red, purple and maroon, with blue signifying the least polluted regions and maroon the most polluted.

As per the map, the city is at least eight times more polluted compared with the WHO limit of 5 µg/m³ of PM2.5.

New Delhi, with 102 µg/m³ of PM2.5, is the world’s most polluted city. While Kolkata (47.8 µg/m³) and Mumbai (43.8 µg/m³) are worse than Hyderabad, Bengaluru (28.6 µg/m³) and Chennai (28 µg/m³) fared better.

The Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) claimed that the pollution in terms of PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less) has fallen in the city from what it was five years ago.