Air Quality Index of an Industrial District of Jharkhand, India .

This paper deals with the assessment of air quality status of the study area by means of NAAQS Dependant air quality index (AQI). It was performed by combining various pollutant concentrations in a specific mathematical equation to get a single number for air quality. Air quality was monitored at thirty one monitoring locations which are covering entire Jharia Coalfield. Monitoring was done to assess the concentration of various particulate (suspended particulate matter, respirable particulate matter and fine particulate matter) and gaseous pollutants (oxides of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon). As per AQI based on prevailing air quality standard, location A7 (Kusunda) registered high AQI followed by Bastacola (A17), Lodna (A30), Bank More (A6) and Sijua (A10). These locations were close to opencast mining area as well as receiving vehicular dust resuspension. Only one location i.e., A23 (BIT-Sindri) comes under moderate pollution status.