GASPING PORT TOWN
PM10 LEVEL
Reading of 82.8µg/m3 is the highest among Goa’s towns
INDUSTRIAL AREAS
Mormugao Port area has by far the worst air quality
POSITIVE SIDE
Levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide well below permissible limits
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WATER POLLUTION
The Goa State Pollution Control Board has reported that the water quality of Goa’s rivers continues to be affected by high faecal coliform and total coliform levels
WATER QUALITY DATA ANALYSIS
* Faecal coliform of Mapusa, Mandovi, Sal, Zuari rivers don't comply with prescribed CPCB standards
* Levels in rivers Valvanti and Bicholim showed exceedance of the limits throughout the year
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PANAJI: The port town of Vasco-da-Gama is the ‘most polluted’ while Margao the least in the annual air quality ratings for Goa over the year 2017-18. The ratings are for the presence of suspended particulate matter.
According to the prescribed limits, the air quality over Goa’s towns falls under the ‘satisfactory’ category which is worse than ‘good’ but better than moderately polluted, poor, very poor and severely polluted.
According to the trends revealed by the pollution board in their annual report, Vasco da Gama has an average year-long reading of 82.8µg/m3 for PM10 the highest among Goa’s towns putting it in the category of ‘satisfactory’ while the figure for Margao was 68.7µg/m3 also in the ‘satisfactory’ category.
Ponda with 78.8, Panaji with 75.2, and Mapusa with 73.0 all fell within the satisfactory category.
On the levels of PM 2.5µg/m3, Ponda and Margao boast of levels that are below the permissible limit but Panaji Vasco da Gama and Mapusa boast of ‘satisfactory’ levels.
However, on the positive side, the air quality levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide are all well below the permissible annual limits.
Among industrial areas, the Mormugao Port area at Vasco da Gama has by far the worst air quality while Cuncolim Industrial estate comes second in the list. Other industrial estates have a satisfactory air quality.
The Board has reported that other parameters which it is also reporting like that of Ozone, Lead and Carbon monoxide have also been monitored and have been found to be within prescribed limits.
An air quality index of ‘satisfactory’ may cause minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people but is otherwise believed to be harmless. It must be noted that the figures above are year-long trends and averages and that on a given day, the air quality could be well above the permissible limits and even category ‘serious.’
For instance, on six days across the whole year, the air quality in Vasco was either poor, very poor or severe. Similarly, on two days across twelve months, the pollution in Panaji was either poor or very poor. The days of bad air quality are more likely to occur during the summer months between March to May.
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Mining areas: Air quality
levels are 'satisfactory'
PANAJI: Levels of PM10 particulate matter have exceeded the permissible limits in the mining areas with the Goa State Pollution Control Board finding a strong correlation between the number of trips and the levels of dust pollution especially in the Sonshi mining cluster. According to the Goa State Pollution Control Board’s report on the average annual air quality in the mining areas the Board has found that the levels of PM10 is exceeding the permissible limits at Amona, Bicholim, Codli, Honda, Sanguem, Tilamol-Quepem and Usgao.
The figures of PM10 range between 54.7µg/m3 in Assonora which was the lowest to Honda which boasted of a figure of 76.6µg/m3 in Honda. Interestingly these figures of the ‘mining belt’ are less than those reported by some of Goa’s towns.
The ambient air quality monitoring was initiated at Sonshi, Navelim and Maina in response to directions from the Bombay High Court at Goa to assess the levels of airborne particulate matter due to transportation activities.
