3 Odisha towns among India’s five most polluted places today, surpass Delhi in AQI

Odisha has once again emerged as one of the most polluted states in India, surpassing even Delhi in air quality index (AQI) on Thursday morning. As of 11.00 AM, three towns from the State featured among the country’s five most polluted urban centres.

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Balasore led with an alarming AQI of 336, while Talcher recorded 324 and Baripada 304, placing them in the “Very Poor” category. The two other places among the top five polluted were Haldia in Kolkata with 319 AQI and Rupnagar in Punjab at 311.

In comparison, New Delhi’s AQI was 218 today, significantly lower than Odisha’s worst-affected towns.

However, other places in the State witnessed slightly better air quality. Among the twin cities, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar recorded a “Poor” AQI rating.

Bhubaneswar witnessed an index value of 239, and the major pollutants found were PM2.5. Similarly, Cuttack had an index value of 262, and the major pollutant found was PM2.5.

Yesterday, two Odisha towns—Angul and Talcher—were among India’s five most polluted. Angul had registered an AQI of 303, while Talcher was at 336. These figures highlight a persistent air quality crisis in the State, raising serious concerns about public health and environmental management.

Worth mentioning, breathing clean air lessens the possibility of stroke, heart attack, cardiac arrest, lung cancer, as well as chronic and acute respiratory ailments such as asthma. Lower levels of air pollution are better for heart and respiratory health, both in the long and short terms.