BHOPAL: Going by the new WHO standards, only one district would pass the SPM 2.5 test. According to MP Pollution Control Board data, Sagar with a count of 4.6 is below the threshold.
Hoshangabad is the worst at an average of 37 – over seven times the new limit.
Most parts of Bhopal, at an average of 7.5, are closer to the mark, Indore is a shade worse, and Gwalior (23.4) has a lot of work ahead to get to the WHO mark.
Jabalpur too would have passed muster in the previous WHO standard, but not the new one. Parts of Bhopal have up to seven times the new limit. In terms of AQI, the PCB data puts most of MP in the green, with Hoshangabad and Harda the only two listed under yellow or ‘moderate’.
