Kisama’s air quality during Hornbill hazardous — Nagaland Pollution Control Board report

KOHIMA — After revealing the alarming generation of waste at Kisama during Hornbill Festival, the Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) has now flagged the poor ambient air quality at the festival venue.

Its report titled ‘Study of solid waste, ambient air quality, and ambient noise quality during Hornbill Festival 2023’ has highlighted the ill effects of air pollution on human health in Kisama Heritage Village, the festival’s central venue.

The board conducted the ambient air quality monitoring in order to determine the status and trend in ambient air quality and to ascertain whether the National Ambient Air Quality Standards are being violated.

The study monitored and analysed the pollutants: Particulate Matter—Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) PM10, and Fine Particulate Matter PM2.5.

It found out that on most of the monitoring days, the particulate matters for both PM10 and PM2.5 microns exceeded the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standards, which are 100µg/m3 and 60µg/m3, respectively, at 24-hourly monitoring.

The NPCB had identified two locations in Kisama for this study: at the main arena entrance (location-I) and above the Bamboo Pavilion at IT building (location-II). It installed Respirable Dust Sampler APM 460NL and Fine Particulate Sampler APM 550 MFC instruments in both locations for the monitoring process.

Data generated from the monitoring showed that the ambient air concentration in both locations was beyond the permissible limit for both the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter PM10 and Fine Particulate Matter PM2.5 throughout the festival.

Around the main arena, the highest concentration of air pollution was observed during the time interval from 2 pm to 10 pm. The NPCB attributed this to the multiple activities carried out during these hours.

The ambient air concentration for RSPM (PM10) showed the highest level on the second day of the festival in both the monitoring locations, with data projected at 291µg/m3 and 190µg/m3, respectively.

As for PM2.5 (24-hourly average), the highest concentration for location-I was on the fourth day with 265µg/m3, whereas in the case of location-II, the highest concentration was recorded on the last day with 169µg/m3.

There was an exception on the seventh day of the festival (December 7), with both the monitoring locations showing the lowest concentration and below the permissible limit. The result was 81µg/m3 for PM10 and 53µg/m3 for PM2.5.

Comparatively, the average 24-hourly concentration was above the permissible limit on all 10 days of the festival in location-I, whereas in location-II, below the permissible limits were recorded on the fifth, seventh, and eighth days of the festival.

Main sources of air pollution

The NPCB study found that the main sources of air pollution were smoke from the burning of firewood at tribal morungs/stalls, traffic congestion leading to increased emissions of pollutants from vehicles, shooting of muzzle-loading guns, burning of waste, and the unpaved areas in the main area and parking lot.

The report highlighted that higher air pollution concentrations will have negative health impacts.

The smaller Fine Particulate Matter PM2.5 affects the lungs and the air passage the most, whereas Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter PM10 affects the upper respiratory tract from the nose and windpipe, it added.

The NPCB called for promoting eco-friendly celebrations by ensuring responsible disposal of waste, discouraging open burning of waste, improvised traffic systems, and advocating and promoting clean air.

“While the challenges of air pollution during the festive season are undeniable, there’s hope in collective action. Every individual effort can add up to create a substantial impact. By making conscious choices, supporting eco-friendly alternatives, and educating ourselves and others, we can breathe easy and ensure a healthy way of celebrating Hornbill Festival,” the NPCB stated.

Noise levels during Hornbill

Alongside the ambient air concentration monitoring, the board also monitored the noise levels at the festival venue.

A real-time monitoring instrument was stationed at the main arena where the major events and activities of the festival took place. Hourly noise monitoring data was tabulated into per-day average, with maximum and minimum noise levels standing at 97.5 dB and 45.3 dB, respectively.

The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules of 2000 had laid down the permissible noise levels in India for different areas. In industrial areas, the permissible limit is 75 dB for daytime and 70 dB at night. In commercial areas, it is 65 dB and 55 dB, while in residential areas it is 55 dB and 45 dB during daytime and night, respectively.