Air quality in Ropar

Does Ropar have high levels of air pollution?

Ropar is a city located in the state of Punjab, in the northern region of India. It currently goes by the name of Rupnagar, and also holds the title of being a municipal council within Rupnagar district. It has a somewhat smaller population size of 56,000 people, as per a census conducted in early 2011. This may mean it could have grown considerably since then, but will still stand at a lower number when compared to the more populous cities around India. In regards to its air quality, Ropar sees some rather poor levels of pollution present in its atmosphere, with many days coming in with high readings of both US AQI and PM2.5.

In early May of 2021, Ropar was seen with a US AQI reading of 154, a sizeable number that placed it well within the ‘unhealthy’ ratings bracket. This indicates that the air would be highly permeated with smoke, chemical pollutants and hazardous clouds of particulate matter, both of the fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) variety. US AQI refers to a measure of air pollution that is calculated from a number of main pollutants found in the atmosphere. These include ones such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃) and the aforementioned particulate matter of varying sizes. Hence, US AQI is a composite figure formed by the volume of these different pollutants found in the air.

Whilst the reading above represents a very poor quality of air in Rupnagar, it can be seen that this was a reoccurring theme throughout the months of May and April of 2021, with numerous days coming in with similar readings of US AQI. Numbers such as 153, 158 and 165 were all present, all of which are counted as unhealthy, thus representing a significant threat to the health of the citizens who dwell within the city, particularly those who are subject to higher levels of exposure (such as those that live near industrial sites or busy roads) as well as sensitive groups within the population.

These sensitive groups include people such as the elderly or infirm, as well as those who lead sedentary lifestyles or who partake in unhealthy activities such as smoking, or a combination of all previously mentioned. Young children, babies and expectant mothers are all highly at risk, as well as those who have pre-existing health conditions or a hypersensitivity towards chemical pollutants or irritating particulate matter.

These groups should take extra care during bouts of higher air pollution, which can be tracked via air quality maps such as the one on this page, or by using the AirVisual app for hourly updates. Preventative measures such as the wearing of fine particle filtering masks or avoiding strenuous outdoor activity would go a long way in aiding against these ill health effects.

What are some of the main sources of polluted air in Ropar?

Main causes of higher levels of air pollution in Ropar stem from the numerous combustion sources taking place across the city, as is common in many cities throughout India, as well as neighboring countries. As well as this, there are many anthropogenic and industrial activities that can lead to the mass release of fine particles entering the air, typically from actions that disturb large amounts of earth, dust or other finely ground particles.

These activities include ones such as construction sites (which can also lead to the release of many other dangerous materials such as mercury, lead and other byproducts of the heavy machinery used on site), road repairs, demolition areas and poorly paved roads. The last one mentioned can be a major source of problematic dust, due to a high quantity of cars driving over such areas and churning many tons of harmful particulate matter into the air.

Other prominent sources include the burning of refuse and garbage waste in the open air, as well as the emissions that arise from vehicles, factories and power plants. The combination of all of these polluting factors has led to Ropar coming in with a PM2.5 average of 48.3 μg/m³ over the course of 2020, placing it within the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ bracket. As well as this, this high reading also placed it in 50^th place out of all cities ranked in India in the same year, as well as 116^th place out of all cities ranked worldwide.

What months have the worst levels of pollution in Ropar?

Observing more of the air quality data gathered over the course of 2020, one can see the months that had the highest levels of PM2.5. These were the last three months of the year, all of which came in with ‘unhealthy’ levels of air pollution (55.5 to 150.4 μg/m³ required for classification).

These readings were 65.3 μg/m³, 59.9 μg/m³ and 56.9 μg/m³ respectively, making October the most polluted month of the year and a time in which individuals should be most cautious with actions that may bring them into contact with higher levels of air contaminants.

What months are the cleanest in Ropar?

In contrast to the higher readings shown above, Ropar saw its cleanest levels of air quality between the months of April to September, with the exception of May which came in with a sudden spike of air pollution (52.3 μg/m³).

Out of all of these months, July had the best level of air quality, being the only month of the year to come in with a ‘moderate’ rating of pollution (12.1 to 35.4 μg/m³ required). July’s reading was 32.8 μg/m³, and although this is still high by international standards, it represents a time period in which the air quality is considerably less dangerous, however not without its own risks.

What are some health issues that arise from breathing polluted air in Ropar?

Health issues that arise in individuals who are subject to high levels of pollution exposure (as well as those belonging to vulnerable groups) are ones such as dry coughs, chest pain and infections of the respiratory tract, due to constant irritation by certain chemicals or particulate matter being inhaled.

Numerous other respiratory conditions may present themselves, with ones such as pneumonia, bronchitis and emphysema being the most common, along with asthma attacks. More serious conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and damage to the liver, kidneys and even reproductive system are all highly plausible, showing the necessity to alleviate these high pollution levels in the near future.