Even as Delhi dominates attention for hazardous smog, Odisha is quietly entering its own air pollution crisis. Recent data from the Central Pollution Control Board shows a sharp rise in particulate matter, especially PM 2.5, across several major cities and industrial belts in the state. Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Angul and Talcher are the worst affected, while pollution levels have also climbed in Balasore, Barbil, Rourkela, Rairangpur and Keonjhar.
The air quality index categorises pollution levels between good and severe, with values above four hundred marked as dangerous. Until October, most urban centres in Odisha recorded safe or satisfactory levels of air quality. However, from November onwards, conditions began deteriorating sharply. In Bhubaneswar, air quality remained in the poor category for seventeen days in November and very poor for two days.
On November twenty five, PM 2.5 levels reached three hundred and twenty one micrograms per cubic metre, placing the city firmly in the very poor zone. Cuttack experienced a similar decline, with fourteen days of poor air quality and two days of very poor readings, including high particle concentrations of three hundred and thirty two and three hundred and six micrograms per cubic metre towards the end of the month.
Industrial towns recorded even more prolonged exposure to bad air. Talcher reported twenty days of poor air quality in November, while Angul saw three days classified as very poor and a further fourteen days as poor. Balasore, a coastal city, had eight days in the poor category and seventeen days of moderately poor air, reflecting a steady worsening of conditions. Mining areas such as Keonjhar reported twenty five days of moderately poor air in November, compared to fifteen days in October, showing a month to month rise in pollution.
Officials and scientists attribute the crisis to a mix of industrial emissions, construction dust, growing vehicle traffic and uncontrolled burning of waste, plastic and fossil fuels. Experts from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board point to large scale movement of fly ash and ore in industrial and mining regions, which is contributing significantly to air contamination. Environmental scientists also warn that winter weather reduces atmospheric circulation and prevents pollutants from dispersing, trapping harmful particles close to the ground.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar said regional weather conditions during winter make the situation more severe, allowing toxic air to accumulate near the surface. Pollution control authorities have directed district collectors to identify local sources of pollution and introduce preventive measures. Officials say a new fly ash monitoring system is being tested to track transportation and disposal, aiming to reduce dust pollution from industrial operations.
Air quality remained poor across several affected towns in the first week of December, indicating that Odisha’s battle with toxic air is likely to continue unless stronger enforcement and monitoring steps are taken.