ISLAMABAD: The federal capital residents on Thursday reported moderate air quality as the atmospheric contaminants were less than the national threshold after a repeated incidents of forest fires and gusty weather in the evening time.
The air quality was moderate as the air pollutants ratio in the atmosphere was below the permissible limits of the national environmental quality standards of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) as per its daily air quality data.
It is responsible for ensuring the protection of the environment under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997.
The hazardous air pollutant particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5), which was a hazardous atmospheric contaminant, remained 32.32 micro grammes per cubic meter on average which was lower than the national environmental quality standards (NEQS) of 35 mic-programmes per cubic meter and denoted the air quality moderate.
PM 2.5 is generated through the combustion of an engine, industrial emissions, burning garbage or inflammable material and dust blown up by fast-moving cars plying on non-cemented patches of the roads.
The ratio of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide (NO2&SO2 respectively) also remained below the NEQS that were mostly produced during the industrial emissions from the factories involving complex and extraordinary chemicals’ use in production processes.
The NO2 remained 11.45 microgrammes per cubic meter and SO2 was 12.07 microgrammes per cubic meter.
The EPA officials claimed that the vehicular emissions due to increased automobiles were one of the leading causes of bad air quality.
Industrial emissions were already subsided due to carbon-absorbing advanced technology installed at various steel manufacturing units. –Agencies
