Patna: Air quality significantly worsened across Bihar on Thursday due to the thickening winter smog over key cities, resulting in pollution levels categorized as poor and very poor in multiple districts. Fifteen districts reported unhealthy air, with Hajipur identified as the most polluted city, exhibiting an alarming AQI of 245. State pollution monitoring data indicates that this increase was primarily due to PM 2.5 concentrations, pushing Hajipur’s air quality into the “poor” category, which raises health risks for sensitive populations. Patna, the state capital, also experienced troubling pollution levels, with an average AQI of 152, categorizing it within the “moderate to poor” range.
In Samanpura, the AQI peaked at 243, marking it as one of the most polluted areas in the city. Other pollution levels across Patna included: Danapur (DRM Office): 153, Patna City (Shikarpur): 153, Taramandal area: 122, and Muradpur: 146. Beyond Patna, Samastipur recorded a high AQI of 194, while Saharsa logged 178, both indicating deteriorating air quality as cold weather traps pollutants near the ground. Despite the widespread pollution in Bihar, Purnia provided some respite with an AQI of only 41, making it the cleanest district on Thursday. Kishanganj also reported relatively clean air with an AQI of 44, well within the “good” range.
AQI snapshot across major cities shows Hajipur at 245, Samastipur at 194, Saharsa at 178, Ara at 149, Patna at 152 (avg), Sasaram at 139, Bihar Sharif at 122, Gaya at 121, Muzaffarpur at 119, Rajgir at 118, Munger at 114, Aurangabad at 102, Bhagalpur at 84, Motihari at 68, Kishanganj at 44, and Purnia at 41. According to Indian AQI standards, categories are defined as follows: 0–50: Good, 51–100: Satisfactory, 101–200: Moderately polluted, 201–300: Poor, 301–400: Very poor, and 401–450: Severe. As temperatures continue to drop, air quality experts caution that further deterioration is likely in the upcoming weeks unless there is an increase in wind speeds or a reduction in emissions.