PANAJI | Dec 14, 2017: The air quality is slowly deteriorating along mining belt as operations for iron ore extraction pick up in the state, the Goa State Pollution Control Board has said in its latest report on ambient air quality monitoring.
The data on air pollution along the ore transportation routes for November 2017 show 33 per cent ‘exceedance’ at Velguem for PM10, whereas air quality was within limits at Paliem. There has been 50 per cent exceedance of PM10 at Sanvordem Tisk and Ambe Udogk at Santona village in Sanguem taluka.
PM2.5 showed 66 per cent exceedance at Velguem and 75 per cent exceedance at Pale. The safe levels of PM2.5 and PM10 are 60 and 100 ug/m3 respectively, and anything beyond which are considered hazardous for the respiratory system.
As per data released by the GSPCB, PM10 levels were found to exceed the permissible limit (above 100 mpcm) along the ore transportation routes between March and May, while the same levels were within permissible limit from the monsoon till October.
A GSPCB scientist explained that the most health-damaging particles are those with a diameter of 10 microns or less. This is due to the ability of the smaller particles to travel deeper into the lungs and pass into the bloodstream.
The GSPCB released the ambient air quality data picked up from 14 locations in and around mining areas under the national air monitoring programme, which was collected to check the levels of PM2.5 and PM10.
The data on air quality along ore transportation routes for the period from October, 2016 to February, 2017 indicated that PM10 parameter concentration levels were exceeding at some of the locations where as SO2, NO2, PM2.5, CO, O3 and Pb parameters were within the prescribed permissible limits at all the locations.
The report said the PM10 parameter were exceeding at most of the locations due to iron ore transportation in the mining belt where the NAMP locations are monitored. Whereas at other locations parameter exceeded because of vehicle movements, construction activities and other anthropogenic activities.
The summary of AAQM data on air quality along the ore transportation routes for March, April, May, 2017 indicated that PM10 parameter concentration levels had exceeded at some of the locations whereas SO2, NO2, PM2.5, CO, O3 and Pb parameters had been within the prescribed permissible limits at all the locations.
The data for the months of June, July, August, September and October, 2017 indicated that all the parameter concentration levels of PM10, SO2, NO2, PM2.5, CO, O3 and Pb parameters had been within the prescribed permissible limits at all the locations.
(Source: http://www.navhindtimes.in/)