City witnesses poor air quality with high PM2.5 levels from Feb 21-27

Nagpur: The city witnessed consistently poor air quality over the past week, with Ambient Air Quality Index (AQI) readings remaining in the moderate category, while the PM2.5 levels reached the poor to very poor category on almost all days and across most monitoring stations, raising concerns over public health.Data from Feb 21 to 27 shows that key monitoring locations — Ambazari, Mahal, GPO Civil Lines and Ram Nagar — recorded PM2.5 levels largely above 200, indicating unhealthy air conditions. The worst impact was observed in Mahal, where AQI crossed 300 on Feb 21, touching 309, and remained in the very poor range for most of the week. Ambazari and Ram Nagar also recorded persistently high pollution levels, frequently exceeding the poor threshold.
The only brief relief came on Feb 24, when GPO Civil Lines recorded PM2.5 levels of 90, falling in the satisfactory category. However, the improvement was short-lived, as AQI levels at the same station climbed back to poor levels on subsequent days. Experts warn that prolonged exposure to elevated PM2.5 levels can aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, particularly among children, the elderly and those with pre-existing illnesses. With no sustained improvement in sight, the data underscores the urgent need for effective pollution control measures and stricter enforcement across the city. PM2.5 data from Feb 21 to 27 Day — Ambazari — Mahal — GPO Civil Lines — Ram Nagar Feb 21 — 254 — 309 — 300 — 304 Feb 22 — 252 — 283 — 252 — 308 Feb 23 — 219 — 257 — 246 — 211 Feb 24 — 117 — 210 — 90 — 120 Feb 25 — 108 — 239 — 143 — NA Feb 26 — 106 — 278 — 193 — 154 Feb 27 — 188 — 253 — 247 — 176