Hyderabad records ‘moderate air quality’ using missing data

As temperatures drop in Telangana, a layer of mist covers the Hussain Sagar lake in Hyderabad on Tuesday (November 19, 2024).
| Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Between November 12 and 19, there has not been a single day when all the 14 pollution sensors in Hyderabad functioned continuously for 24 hours. The result: the online monitoring map of air quality looks green and healthy in Hyderabad, while the social media is abuzz about the unhealthy air quality of Delhi and other cities.

“Sometimes the monitors may malfunction. They are rectified within a day or two. We have an annual maintenance contract for the equipment,” said a Telangana State Pollution Control Board official, when asked about the missing data.

On Deepavali night, data showed that the pollution sensors stopped functioning just when the pollution levels were rising. The pattern repeated itself over the past one week, with some monitoring stations on the blink for more than 24 hours. This was at a time when citizens could smell the smog and intuitively know that the air was unhealthy. Even with the missing data, the PCB averages out the numbers.

On Deepavali night, the city had better air quality than last year, according to a PCB press release. The city recorded PM2.5 at 84 microns per cubic metre on November 1, 2024, as against 119 microns per cubic metre on Deepavali night in 2023. Incidentally, on that night, five of the Central Pollution Control Board real-time monitoring stations at Zoo Park, Bollarum, Patancheru, Somajiguda, and Sanathnagar went offline just as the air quality began to deteriorate around 10 p.m. 

“This is extremely dangerous; it gives a very false picture. Because we keep taking certain decisions on the basis of AQI levels. For instance, if I am a mother with small children, I might want them to wear a mask to school if the AQI is unhealthy. I may not want them to play outdoors if the AQI is unhealthy. But if the app tells me the air is clean, I will be a little careless and might take decisions that are detrimental to my child. It is very important that the data on the app reflects the reality of the pollution,” says Natasha Ramarathnam, development professional. 

She shares a snapshot of a sensor showing AQI of 160, considered unhealthy, in the Financial District area. “What are we achieving if we shut down monitors and give a false picture? The government should come up with some plan since winter is coming and AQI is going to get worse. It is there in Delhi. It does not reduce air pollution, but it does reduce exposure to pollution. Schools switch to offline mode. Construction activity is stopped. And there are certain restrictions on travel by private vehicles,” she says, calling for action from government officials.