Rajendranagar breathes cleanest air while Pashamylaram most polluted in Hyderabad

According to the latest data from the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB), Rajendranagar has the cleanest air, while the most polluted area is Pashamylaram. This is as per the Air Quality Index measured in 24 air monitoring stations in the Greater Hyderabad region.

In Rajendranagar, the AQI levels were either in the ‘Good’ or ‘Satisfactory’ category throughout 2020. Even in 2019, Rajendranagar had cleaner air than other parts of the city.

The AQI levels of 0-50 are indexed as ‘Good’ category, while those of 51-100 come under ‘Satisfactory’, 101-200 under ‘Moderate’, 201-300 under ‘Poor’, 301-400 under ‘Very Poor’, and above 400 under the ‘Severe’ category. The maximum AQI value registered in Rajendranagar was 73 in December last while the lowest was 28 recorded in July. 

Between April and September, the air quality was ‘Good’.

In other areas, environmentalists attribute the rising pollution levels to vehicular movement and constructional activities, which contribute mainly to air pollution. “Apart from rich green cover, compared to



other parts of the city, vehicular movement is less in localities of Rajendranagar,” says renowned environmentalist WG Prasanna Kumar.

On the other hand, Pashamylaram area had been recording higher pollution levels due to high number of industries operating from there. The AQI values in the area were in the ‘Moderate’ category last year, with the highest AQI value of 200, which was in fact just one point away from the ‘Poor’ category.

The air pollution levels were high in areas such as Uppal, Charminar, Madhapur, Jubilee Hills and Kukatpally, where vehicular movement is quite high. Though the air quality remained in the ‘Good’ to ‘Satisfactory’ categories, air quality in these areas was affected in winter after the fog blocked pollutants.

The air quality, meanwhile, is going from bad to worse in industrial areas. Sanathnagar, which is surrounded by several industries, witnessed the AQI shooting up from 25 in August to 192 in December. Similar was the case with Balanagar, where the AQI levels went up from 33 to 141 during the same period.