Maha Kumbh area remained in green zone for 42 days

Mahakumbh Nagar (UP): Despite massive footfall of more than 620 million pilgrims and movement of thousands of vehicles in the Kumbh area, the air quality has not deteriorated, reveals data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement on Monday.

More than 60 per cent of the country's population has visited the sacred confluence of rivers at Maha Kumbh and participated in the ritualistic holy dip. Additionally, millions of vehicles have moved across the region.

However, the air quality of the Kumbh area has not turned unhealthy, reports from the CPCB validate this fact.

Environmental Consultant Engineer Shaikh Shiraz from the CPCB said the air quality has remained in the green zone throughout the Maha Kumbh.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) on significant dates was: 67 on January 13 (Paush Purnima), 67 on January 14 (Makar Sankranti), 106 on January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), 65 on February 3 (Basant Panchami) and 52 on February 12 (Maghi Purnima), he said.

An AQI below "100" is considered good, while "100 to 150" is categorized as moderate. Except for Mauni Amavasya (when the AQI was slightly moderate), the air quality on all other days was classified as good.

Overall, the Maha Kumbh area remained in the green zone for 42 days, the statement said.

Despite the continuous influx of devotees and the presence of numerous fuel-powered vehicles, the city's air quality remained in the green zone for 42 consecutive days.

A comparative analysis of air quality data from January and February on the CPCB's official app 'Sameer' highlights that Mahakumbh's air quality was even better than Chandigarh.

On the key religious dates, Chandigarh's AQI was recorded as: 253 on January 13 (Paush Purnima), 264 on January 14 (Makar Sankranti), 234 on January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), 208 on February 3 (Basant Panchami) and 89 on February 12 (Maghi Purnima).

The effective air pollution control measures at the Maha Kumbh were the result of regular monitoring and multiple initiatives by the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation.

Prayagraj Municipal Corporation Junior Engineer Ram Saxena said that 9,600 personnel were deployed for sanitation and pollution control, 800 additional sanitation workers remained active throughout, continuous water sprinkling was carried out in areas prone to air pollution and road washing at night was done to minimize dust.

The water tankers from Jal Nigam, including eight large (10,000 litres each) and four small (3,000 litres each) tankers, were used.

Anti-pollution sensors were installed at three key locations -- MNNIT Crossing, Teliyarganj, Jhunsi Awas Vikas and the Municipal Corporation office --“ where water sprinkling was conducted daily, the statement added.