Assam: PCB says Guwahati air quality not as dire as reports claim

Guwahati: The Assam Pollution Control Board (PCB) has strongly refuted a recent report by IQAir, a Swiss air quality firm, which labelled Guwahati as the world's second most polluted city.

APCB Secretary Dr Shantanu Kumar Dutta called the report "misleading" and "not based on authentic sources."

IQAir's ranking reportedly placed Guwahati above even Delhi based on 2023 PM2.5 concentration.

However, APCB maintained that Guwahati's air quality is well within limits. The Board relied on data collected by government-approved Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) located across the city.

According to APCB data, the average air quality index (AQI) for Guwahati in 2022 and 2023 was around 52, with a maximum PM2.5 concentration of 98.3 micrograms per cubic meter recorded in July 2023.

This data significantly contradicts the much higher figures presented by IQAir.

The APCB has taken steps to address the misleading report, informing both the state and central governments.

They also urged Guwahati residents to rely on official sources for accurate air quality information and to disregard reports that may cause unnecessary panic.