GUWAHATI: Byrnihat, a town on the Assam-Meghalaya border, has been named as the most polluted city in India for the second year in a row. The air quality in the area has become hazardous, severely impacting the health, daily life, and livelihoods of the people.
Locals say the pollution is mainly due to the uncontrolled activities of nearby factories, which have been causing serious harm to the environment and the community.
In 2023, a report by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change ranked Byrnihat, a town near Guwahati in Assam, as having the worst air quality in India.
Byrnihat recorded 187 bad days out of 277 days analyzed, making up 67.51% of the year. The air quality on 103 days was rated "poor," on 74 days it was "very poor," and on 10 days it was "severe." Only 90 days had a "good" air quality index (AQI).
In contrast, two other towns in Assam, Silchar and Sivasagar, had much better air quality. Sivasagar recorded 348 good days, with 250 days marked as "good" and 98 as "satisfactory."
Silchar also performed well, with 340 days analyzed, where 269 days were "good" and 71 days "satisfactory." Neither of these towns had any "bad" days.
Byrnihat's pollution is mainly due to local industries, including cement and smelting factories, which heavily affect the air quality. The pollution problem is shared by both Assam and Meghalaya, as Byrnihat lies on the border of these two states.
The government is working on air quality improvement programs, with Assam spending significant funds under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) over the past few years.
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