PANAJI
By Monday afternoon (October 12), Goa’s air quality had slipped into the ‘Poor’ category, with the AQI at 127, after peaking at 190 in the ‘Unhealthy’ category late on Sunday night, according to AQI.in real-time data.
The dashboard, last updated at 3.21 pm on October 12, recorded PM2.5 concentration at 46 micrograms per cubic metre and PM10 at 55 micrograms per cubic metre. The 24-hour data showed the AQI climbing to a high of 190 at 10.01 pm on October 11 before easing through the early hours of Monday. The lowest reading during the period was 114 at 1.01 pm on Monday. Ribandar recorded the highest AQI among the locations listed on the dashboard at 158, placing it in the ‘Unhealthy’ category. Ponda and Cuncolim followed with readings of 142 each, while Pilerne recorded 139. Aldona and Madgaon registered AQI levels of 134 each, while Panaji stood at 124.
As the State entered the winter of October, the air quality has deteriorated sharply, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing above 140 on several days after remaining largely in the good-to-moderate range through August and most of September.The calendar shows a clear upward trend in pollution levels towards the end of September, followed by a further spike in October. AQI readings, which were largely below 60 during August, began rising in the latter half of September and reached 97 on September 30. During August, daily AQI readings mostly remained between 37 and 60, indicating comparatively better air quality. September began with readings ranging from 41 to 57 during the first few days. However, the index fluctuated through the month, with readings entering the 70s and 80s towards the final week before touching 97 on September 30.
The situation worsened considerably in October. The calendar records AQI readings of 114 and 146 on October 1 and 2, respectively. Subsequent readings remained elevated, with values including 146, 121, 108, 121, 143 and 150 during the first part of the month. The reading stood at 146 on October 11.
The trend marks a substantial change from the relatively lower pollution levels recorded during the preceding two months. While August largely remained within the good-to-moderate range on the calendar, September saw a gradual increase towards its closing days, followed by October readings entering the platform’s poor air quality category.
