more-in The increasing movement of road traffic at the Secretariat, the seat of the State government in Velagapudi, is resulting in the increase of the concentration of certain air pollutants of late. However, the change in concentration is within the limits prescribed under the ambient air quality standards. If the daily reports of the Central Control Room for Air Quality Management of the Central Pollution Control Board are to be considered, the levels of carbon monoxide (CO), the toxic gas emitted from the motor vehicles and generally found near busy roads, is on the rise. The concentration of CO which was not more than 0.12 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) in January has gradually increased to 1.52 mg/m3 on Saturday. A dig into the data reveals that the daily concentration of the gas was not more than 1 mg/m3, barring a couple of days, in the last six months. From the third week of August, it was not less than one milligram and the highest so far was 1.82 mg/m3 recorded three days ago. The average concentration in August was 0.84 mg/m3 and in September so far it was 1.63 mg/m3. As per the air quality standards, CO concentration is considered normal if it is less than 2 milligrams per cubic meter per every eight hours and less than 4 milligrams every hour. Relief for Vijayawada Contrarily, the concentration in Vijayawada which witnesses more traffic at any point of the day is going down. While the monthly average of CO was 1.13 mg/m3 in March, it gradually came down to 0.86 in August and 0.71 in September. The concentration of the suspended particulate matter the major pollutants causing ground level dust pollution and respiratory issues came down largely in the recent months compared to that in January. For a majority of the days in January, the area witnessed PM2.5 (microgram per cubic meter) and PM10 more than prescribed level 60 and 100 respectively. The level of other gases was low and stable. However, the State government has improved greenery and taken other measures to reduce pollution at the Secretariat complex located in the midst of a vast open area.

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