Visakhapatnam’s air was ‘poor’ or worse on 41 of 60 winter days, pollution board data show

The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has imposed environmental compensation totalling ₹16.33 crore (₹16,32,75,000) on 10 industries in Visakhapatnam for violating environmental norms and pollution control standards, a Board official said.

Air quality worsened sharply in December 2025. The Central Pollution Control Board’s Air Quality Index (AQI) rates 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 as ‘poor,’ and 301 to 400 as ‘very poor’. Of the 30 daily readings published by the Board for the month, 25 were in the ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ categories. None was ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’. The average daily AQI that month was 255, nearly three times the 88 recorded in October.

December spike

The daily and monthly data shared by the Board, covering September 2025 to September 2026, bear out its account of a sharp deterioration in December. A Board official said the Board stepped up monitoring and enforcement after air quality worsened that month. The Board found that emissions and smoke from certain industries were adversely affecting air quality, the official said, and directed them to comply with the prescribed emission standards, operate and maintain pollution control equipment effectively and prevent excessive smoke and pollutants. Task force teams inspected several industries in January 2026, found deficiencies at some units and issued notices. Air quality did not improve as expected despite repeated inspections, the official said. The Board then found that some industries were not complying with environmental regulations and the prescribed pollution control standards, and compensation was imposed.

From December 18 to 31, every reading was 265 or higher, with a peak of 347 on December 19. Eight days in the month were “very poor”, a category the Board’s own health advisory associates with respiratory illness on prolonged exposure. On seven of the nine days from December 24 to January 1, the index crossed 300.

January brought only partial relief, with 16 of its 30 readings ‘poor’ or worse. Across the two months, 41 of 60 readings fell in those categories, which is three-quarters of all such days in the 13-month record.

A seasonal pattern

Readings eased from February, when four of the 26 published readings were ‘poor’.