Air Quality Index (AQI) for Development of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Reports of Urban Infrastructural Projects in Coimbatore City

摘要

The principal objective of this work is to study the condition and quality of the air by measuring Air Quality Index (AQI) for the development of environmental impact assessment for building construction projects in Coimbatore city and to compare the measured values with standard values. This study also examines the variation of ambient air quality with different climatic conditions. The quality of air was resolute based on National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This study was carried out based on measuring four major air pollutants such as PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NO2 with various ambiance conditions during November 2015 to October 2016. Respirable Dust Sampler (RDS) and Fine Particulate Sampler (FPS) were used to determine PM10 and PM2.5 respectively. Foundry clusters, industrial units and automobile emissions are the key pollution sources which determine the ambient air quality of the city. Among the diverse climatic conditions, summer exhibits high pollution level in the air while monsoon exhibits low pollution level. The results also reveal that the industrial zones experience more pollutants followed by commercial and residential zones. As per the AQI classification, all locations are coming under the moderate category except industrial zones which require rigid control measures to reduce the particulate matters in the air.