Out of 15 cities in India, two cities in Odisha have air quality in the ‘very poor’ category.

Odisha: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) today declared the air quality in 15 urban areas across the country, including two cities in Odisha, as ‘very poor’.

The CPCB, in its Air Quality Index (AQI), categorized the air quality in Angul and Balasore in Odisha, and 13 other cities – Baddi, Delhi, Dharuhera, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gummidipundi, Gurugram, Jind, Karnal, Noida, Panchkula, Rohtak, and Singrauli – as ‘very poor’.

The CPCB reported that on Sunday, the AQI value for Angul was 318, Balasore 333, Baddi 334, Delhi 337, Dharuhera 326, Ghaziabad 364, Greater Noida 329, Gummidipundi 316, Gurugram 326, Jind 322, Karnal 302, Noida 327, Panchkula 339, Rohtak 337, and Singrauli 341.

Experts said that prolonged exposure to very poor air quality can lead to respiratory illnesses.