Highest PM2.5 in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, South Zones, says new study

Across Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts, the annual mean PM2.5 ranged between 35 and 55 μg m-3.
Rajarajeshwari Nagar and South Zone recorded the highest PM2.5, followed by West Zone, Bommanahalli, and Dasarahalli, found a new study, Satellite-Based Mapping and the Quantification of PM2.5 in India, by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP).
The CSTEP used satellite-based products to study the spatial patterns, hotspot areas, and rural–urban contrasts in PM2.5 in the Delhi-NCR, Kanpur, and Bengaluru regions. The study was done for 2019.
“The particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is a tiny pollutant suspended in the air with a size of less than or equal to 2.5 microns. It causes several adverse effects to human health and climate, and is a major environmental issue in the Indian subcontinent as a large population lives in areas where the PM2.5 pollution levels exceed the national safe limits,” stated a release.
The study said PM2.5 in Delhi-NCR and Kanpur region was found to be three times higher than that of the Bengaluru region. The study has also revealed that PM2.5 hotspots were identified over a lesser spatial extent in the Bengaluru region compared to that of Delhi-NCR and Kanpur regions.
“For Delhi-NCR and Kanpur regions, a marginal difference in annual PM2.5 was observed between rural and urban areas. For the Bengaluru region, no difference was observed between urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, irrespective of seasons,” the study said.
PM2.5 hotspots were also identified in Greater and Rural Bengaluru regions. These coincided with stone-crushing units and open biomass burning areas.