Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STATUS OF AYODHYA CITY, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

Akansha Patel, Naveen Patel, Brijesh Kumar Yadav, Sangram Singh and Vinod Kumar Chaudhary

Abstract

Air pollution has become global concern due to its effect and consequences caused by continues urbanization and industrialization. The air quality parameters of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and PM10 at Naka Bypass (S-1), and Hanuman Garhi Chauraha Ayodhya (S-2) in Ayodhya city has been monitored for 2 consecutive years (2019 to 2021). The concentrations of SO2 and NO2 at both the sites were found within the CPCB’s prescribed standards. The highest value of 8.71 μg/m3 and 9.35 μg/m3 was observed for SO2 during December (2019 and 2020) respectively, whereas lowest concentration 4.33 μg/m3 and 4.73 μg/ m3 was observed during May (2020 & 2021) respectively at S-1. Highest observed NO2 value was 28.59 μg/ m3 and 27.69 μg/m3 during the month of December (2019 & 2020) respectively, while the minimum observed value was 13.25 μg/m3 and 14.4 μg/m3 during the month of August 2020 and July 2021 respectively at S-1. The average concentration of particulate matter (PM10) at selected sites namely (S-1) and (S-2) were found to be above the prescribed standard of National Ambient Quality Standards (NAAQS) established by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) throughout the monitoring period. The observed highest value for PM10 was during January 2020 (198.63 μg/m3 at S-1 and 195.63 μg/m3 at S-2). Whereas observed value of PM10 in the month of January 2021 and December 2020 was 198.86 and 196.74 μg/m3 at S-1 and S-2 respectively. Overall ambient air quality index (AQI) was determined. The overall quality of air is observed to be slightly contaminated in the months of December and January (2019, 2020 and 2021) at both stations S-1 and S-2, whereas, in remaining months throughout the monitoring duration, ambient air quality index value was observed to be well within permissible limit.