Air quality in Chikkamagaluru

What is the current level of air pollution in Chikmagalur?

Chikmagalur, known officially as Chikkamagaluru, is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. A census that was conducted in 2011 estimated the population to be approximately 120,000 people.

Towards the middle of 2021, Chikmagalur was experiencing a period of “Moderate” quality air with a US AQI reading of 80. This United States Air Quality Index number is an internationally used set of metrics supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is used to compare the air quality in different cities throughout the world using comparable standards. It is calculated by using the levels of the six most commonly found pollutants. If records for all six pollutants are not available, then the calculations are based on what data there is. In the case of Chikmagalur, figures were available for five of the major pollutants. These were as follows: PM2.5 - 25.8 µg/m³, PM10 - 50 µg/m³, ozone (O₃) - 26 µg/m³, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 13.6 µg/m³ and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) - 2.4 µg/m³. With a level as high as this, the given advice would be to stay indoors and close all doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air. Those of a sensitive disposition should avoid venturing outdoors unless absolutely necessary but if unavoidable, then a high quality mask should be worn at all times.

The table at the top of this page should help with that decision.

Is the level of air pollution constant throughout the year in Chikmagalur?

Air quality can be very volatile as it is affected by many variables such as wind speed and direction, the moisture content of the air and the amount of sunlight hours.

Looking back at the figures published by the Swiss air monitoring company IQAir.com for 2020 it can be seen that the air quality in Chikmagalur remained constant throughout the year with only slight variations within the category. Recorded figures fell between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³ for the entire 12 months. The months of January and February showed a slight increase but insufficient to push the figures out of the “Moderate” category and into the higher one.

There were no records kept before 2020 when the mean annual figure was 22.5 µg/m³. However, this may not be a true reflection of reality because of the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many vehicles were no longer used as the drivers were furloughed and not required to commute to and from work. There were also many factories and other non-essential production units which were temporarily closed in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.

What are the main sources of air pollution in Chikmagalur?

Burning of fuels, such as coal and wood in homes for domestic cooking and heating. They emit harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. These gases are responsible for exacerbating respiratory problems like asthma, coughs and sneezing.

Fuels used in automobiles, such as diesel and petrol, emit oxides of carbon, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur and smoke. These gases are very harmful and can cause irreversible damage to the lungs, irritate the eyes and cause skin allergies.

The burning of coal in power plants and industries is the main source of gas pollutants, such as sulphur and nitrogen. These are responsible for acid rain which damages buildings and monuments and makes the soil more acidic which is not suitable for plants.

There are many such sources in nature that pollute the atmosphere. In which volcanic action, forest fires, organic waste etc. are included. Lava, rock fragments, water vapour, ash, various gases, etc., emitted during a volcanic eruption, contaminate the atmosphere. Due to forest fires, ash, smoke gases etc. pollute the air.

Can anything be done to improve the air quality in Chikmagalur?

Use clean energy resources such as solar energy, wind energy and water energy, or cleaner fuels such as LNG. The smoke emitted from industries should be sulphur free before exiting the chimneys. The production and consumption of polluting materials and elements should be stopped immediately. Even a simple matter such as planting trees will help.

In order to control the smog arising due to dust, moisture and smoke in the atmosphere, the height of the chimneys producing more smoke is 80-100 metres.

The first requirement is to control the smoke coming out of vehicles. Vehicles must be less smoky than a certain standard or have special improvements made for energy reduction and smoke control.

What detrimental effects on human health does the air in Chikmagalur have?

Air pollution can prove to be fatal. Sometimes the wind can spread the pollutants very rapidly throughout the atmosphere in a short time. It is almost impossible for anyone who breathes polluted air to avoid the infection. However, the level of pollution, the reaction to the pollutants and the transmission of pollutant-based diseases differ from person to person. The fact is that air pollution can have harmful effects on the human body.

There is a close relationship between lower lung infections and particulate matter 2.5, a component of air pollution. Lower lung infection in the 0 to 5 age group is not as effective in the 5 to 14 year age group. Lower lung infections accounted for 6 per cent of child deaths in 2017 in children aged 5 to 14. It is clear from this that lower lung infection is more effective in children under five years of age.

Particulate matter 2.5 is many times more than the prescribed standards and there is a direct connection of deaths due to air pollution. Many reports are repeating this over and over again. For example, the top 10 states where PM2.5 pollution has been more and there have also been more deaths.

Air pollution aggravates respiratory diseases such as COPD. Bronchial asthma takes a severe form due to air pollution. Apart from this, fatigue, headache and anxiety, irritation in eyes, nose, throat, damage to the nervous system, have a bad effect on the cardiovascular system. In the last 30 years, many harmful effects on health have been found due to air pollution. These include respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung problems, cardiovascular diseases, adverse pregnancy outcomes such as premature labour and even death.