Jamshedpur: Air quality monitoring by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board’s regional office here is limited to three pollutants — particulate matter (PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) — leaving major gaps in assessing the city’s pollution burden, an RTI reply has revealed.The information was provided in response to an application filed by city-based human rights activist Manoj Mishra, who had sought data on PM2.5, PM10, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, ammonia, lead, benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, arsenic and nickel. No readings for the other pollutants sought were provided in the reply.In its reply dated Aug 3, JSPCB’s regional office said the available data was based on monitoring carried out on 12 days between April 4 and 29.According to JSPCB public relations officer Md Aftab Alam, the records comprised four-hour measurements of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, and eight-hour measurements of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and total suspended particulate matter (TSPM).In residential-cum-commercial areas, sulphur dioxide levels ranged from 30.70 to 46.05 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), while nitrogen oxides varied between 36.34 and 55.14 µg/m³. RSPM levels ranged from 86 to 175.33 µg/m³, and TSPM from 176 to 358 µg/m³.In industrial areas, RSPM levels ranged from 94.25 to 161.37 µg/m³. Sulphur dioxide readings varied between 27.41 and 43.86 µg/m³, nitrogen oxides between 32.89 and 52.63 µg/m³, and TSPM between 195 and 330 µg/m³.The National Ambient Air Quality Standards prescribe a 24-hour limit of 100 µg/m³ for PM10 and 80 µg/m³ each for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. The RTI data showed particulate levels exceeding the PM10 benchmark on several sampling days. However, the board’s readings were based on shorter sampling periods and are not directly comparable with 24-hour averages.The board also said it had not assessed the possible health impact of pollution on residents, including children, senior citizens and people with respiratory ailments.Mishra questioned the absence of such an assessment despite the monitoring of pollutant levels.The RTI reply identified heavy vehicular traffic as a major contributor to the city’s pollution load. It said monitoring was conducted using a respirable dust sampler, last calibrated on Aug 20, 2025.
