Air quality in Ankleshwar

Does Ankleshwar have high levels of air pollution in the city?

Ankleshwar is a city located in the Bharuch district, a district found in the southern region of the Gujarat peninsula, facing out onto the western coastline. Besides being a city, it also has the status of a municipality, and in regards to its air quality, is subject to some less than appreciable readings throughout the year, with numerous spikes in pollution being present that can affect the population as a whole.

In the latter days of April 2021, Ankleshwar was seen coming in with a US AQI reading of 114, which placed it into the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ bracket. This means that at the particular time that this reading was taken, the air quality would present numerous issues for large amounts of the population, with many at risk people being subject to adverse health effects.

These groups typically contain people such as young children or babies, the elderly or infirm, as well as pregnant mothers. Those with compromised immune systems, poor general health or pre-existing conditions can also find themselves in danger, and should take greater care when these US AQI numbers reach higher levels. These readings can be traced via the air quality map present on this page, as well as via the AirVisual app.

US AQI is a composite measurement of the overall level of air quality, utilizing several existing pollutants that are commonly found in the air such as ozone (O₃), PM10 and PM2.5.

PM2.5 is also a prominent measure in its own right, due to its property of being 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter. As well as this incredibly small size it can reach (oftentimes going many microns smaller and thus able to penetrate deep into the lungs and circulatory system), it can often be comprised of a large amount of dangerous materials, and as mentioned, can be used as a salient measure of air quality on its own, which will be discussed in further detail in the following question.

Regarding the US AQI levels taken on the days prior to the above mentioned figure of 114, it can be seen that Ankleshwar had several large spikes in air pollution, coming in with heightened readings over the month of March. These included US AQI readings of 157, 154 and 164, all taken within a few days of each other.

This is an indicator that whilst Ankleshwar can see its air pollution levels drop to somewhat more appreciable levels of air quality (relatively speaking), with lows of US AQI readings such as 79 or 84 being present, it still stands to reason that the pollution levels can spike up rapidly, causing many at-risk groups to suffer from adverse health effects.

As such Ankleshwar can be considered a city in which the air quality levels are still quite poor, with both the readings from 2020 and 2021 showing heightened readings of PM2.5 and US AQI.

What causes the higher levels of air pollution in Ankleshwar?

Main causes of air pollution in Ankleshwar are numerous, and often compounded by other factors such as meteorological conditions, as well as geographical factors or even urban topography playing a part. Large amounts of dust accumulations can get blown into a city’s denser areas, and with a lack of prevailing winds to blow them back out (along with numerous tall buildings keeping these dust buildups sheltered and thus unable to disperse), Ankleshwar and indeed many other cities can be subject to higher levels of pollution due to reasons such as these.

Looking at the air quality data taken over the course of 2020, it can be seen that Ankleshwar came in with a PM2.5 yearly average of 51.7 μg/m³, placing it in the upper reaches of the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ bracket. This requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 35.5 to 55.4 μg/m³ to be classified as such, and was only a few units away from being moved up into the ‘unhealthy’ air quality ratings bracket, which itself requites a PM2.5 reading between 55.5 to 150.4 μg/m³.

This reading of 51.7 μg/m³ placed Ankleshwar in 45^th place out of all cities ranked in India, as well as 87^th place out of all cities ranked worldwide in 2020. This makes it achieve the status of one of the 100 most polluted cities worldwide, and in order to gain such a high ranking, pollution sources such as vehicular fumes, factory and power plant emissions, road repairs, construction sites and the burning of waste materials or refuse out in the open air all contribute to these high readings seen on record.

What are some of the main pollutants present in Ankleshwar’s air?

Main pollutants present in the air in Ankleshwar would be ones such as carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃) or smog as it is better known, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂), along with hazardous particulate matter such as black carbon (the main component of soot).

Also present would be finely ground silica particles, gravel dust, as well as heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present particularly around industrial areas, with some examples of VOCs being chemicals such as benzene, xylene, styrene, methylene chloride and formaldehyde.

When does Ankleshwar have the highest pollution readings?

Observing the data collected over 2020 as a long term reference point, it can be seen that Ankleshwar had its highest levels of air pollution over the months of January and February, as well as October through to December. This is a common theme in India, China and indeed many cities around the world, with heightened readings beginning towards years end and then continuing on until the early months of the following year, although it is not always exactly a strict rule, with many variations being possible across cities.

January and February presented with readings of 60.1 μg/m³ and 65.8 μg/m³, and October through to December with readings of 63.6 μg/m³, 76 μg/m³ and 59.3 μg/m³. All of these readings were within the ‘unhealthy’ ratings bracket, with November being the most polluted month of the year with its reading of 76 μg/m³.

When does the air in Ankleshwar become less polluted?

In opposition to the previously mentioned most polluted months, the months with the lowest readings of PM2.5 on record were March through to September. Amongst these, the cleanest months were April, May and August, which came in with respective readings of 36.7 μg/m³, 31.8 μg/m³ and 38.2 μg/m³.

This made May the cleanest month of the year, and the only time of the year in which the PM2.5 reading dropped down into the ‘moderate’ ratings bracket (12.1 to 35.4 μg/m³ required).