Air Quality in Bihar Declines Ahead of Diwali Amid COVID-19 Concerns

Bihar's capital, Patna, and other major cities are facing poor air quality ahead of Diwali, with the health of COVID-19 recovered individuals being a major concern. According to a bulletin by the Central Pollution Control Board, Patna's overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 239, classified as poor, with five monitoring stations across the city recording air quality as poor or moderate. The Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) has imposed a complete ban on bursting firecrackers in four cities, including Patna, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, and Vaishali, to safeguard public health.

Key Takeaways:

Patna's air quality index (AQI) stood at 239, classified as poor, ahead of Diwali.
Five monitoring stations in Patna recorded air quality as poor or moderate, with an index value ranging from 200 to 273.
Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) has banned the bursting of firecrackers in four cities to safeguard public health.
COVID-19 recovered individuals are at high risk if they come into contact with toxic smoke from firecrackers and should stay indoors and wear face masks.
Long exposure to loud noise and toxicants from firecrackers may cause breathlessness, severe headache, and high heart rate.

Statistics:

Patna's AQI stood at 239, classified as poor.
Five monitoring stations in Patna recorded air quality as poor or moderate, with an index value of 200-273.
Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) has banned firecrackers in four cities: Patna, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, and Vaishali.
COVID-19 recovered individuals are at high risk due to toxic smoke, with stastistics indicating 228, 273, 277 index values
Last year, Patna recorded 'moderate' air quality on pre-Diwali day with an index value of 190.

Sources:

Central Pollution Control Board (no specific date)
Hindustan Times (no specific date)
Bihar State Pollution Control Board (no specific date)
Dr. Vikas Kumar, pulmonologist (no specific date)