Shillong’s air quality good, says pollution control board

NEW DELHI, Oct 31: In spite of traffic jams and other urban problems, Shillong still remains one of the best cities to live in, as far as the quality of air is concerned, especially when compared to the national capital and other metropolises.
Shillong was listed among the cities with ‘good’ category air quality index (AQI) in India in the last 24 hours, according to the daily bulletin by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Aizawl, Sivasagar and Gangtok also have good air quality index, CPBC said. Among the four cities in the Northeast, Aizawl (22) has the best air quality followed by Sivasagar (23), Shillong (24) and Gangtok (31).
According to the government organisation, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered to be ‘good’; 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’; 101 to 200 ‘moderate’; 201 to 300 ‘poor’; 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
In contrast, bad air days continue to haunt Delhi and several of its neighbouring states, including Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The national capital’s AQI was recorded in the “very poor” category on Sunday for the second day in a row, an improvement from Friday when it had plunged to a “severe” zone. There are some other cities in the country that are enjoying not just decent but “good” AQI. These cities spread from Meghalaya to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, according to the bulletin.