Assam: Pollution Control Board rejects claim of Guwahati being second most polluted city

The Pollution Control Board Assam (PCBA) has vehemently rejected the recent claim by IQAir, a Swiss-based Air Quality Technology Company, stating that Guwahati ranks as the second most polluted city globally. The report titled the "2023 World Air Quality Report- Region & City OM2.5 Ranking," has stirred panic among Guwahati residents.

According to the PCBA, the report has created unnecessary fear among Guwahatians and the general public in the state. The PCBA clarified that Guwahati was actually reported as the second-most polluted regional city in Central and South Asia based on an average PM2.5 level of 105.4 μg/m3 in 2023.

In response to the report Shantanu Kumar Dutta, Member Secretary of PCBA issued a statement highlighting the monitoring measures in place. The PCBA continuously monitors ambient air quality in Guwahati through sophisticated Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) located at four key locations across the city.

These stations, situated at the PCBA headquarters in Bamunimaidam, Panbazar at Cotton University, Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and IIT Guwahati employ approved technology by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Government of India.

Dutta emphasized that the data generated by these monitoring stations contradicts the findings of the IQAir report. He cited the average monthly PM2.5 concentration in Guwahati recorded at 52.8 μg/m3 in 2023, with a maximum concentration of 98.3 μg/m3 and a minimum of 22.62 μg/m3.

The PCBA underscored that the IQAir report's data source is unknown, while data from the government-approved monitoring stations are available online for public access. The reported average PM2.5 concentration by IQAir in 2023 was stated to be 105.4 μg/m3, indicating a discrepancy of 200% compared to the recorded values by the CPCB and PCBA.

PCBA reassured residents that the actual air quality in Guwahati is significantly different from what was portrayed in the IQAir report urging the public not to be misled by unverified data sources.