APPCB Fines 10 Visakhapatnam Industries ₹16.33 Crore as Winter Air Pollution Plummets

The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board has fined 10 industries in Visakhapatnam a total of ₹16.33 crore for violating environmental rules and pollution standards. Air quality worsened sharply in December 2025, with 25 of 30 daily readings rated 'poor' or 'very poor' by the Central Pollution Control Board. The average daily AQI that month reached 255, compared to 88 in October. From December 18 to 31, every reading stayed at 265 or higher, peaking at 347 on December 19. January 2026 brought only partial relief as 16 of 30 readings remained 'poor' or worse. Over those two months, 41 of 60 readings fell into unhealthy categories.

Monitoring and Causes

Data covering September 2025 to September 2026 show that air quality exceeded the national standard of 100 on 259 of 382 days with a reading. Between November and February, 51 of 116 readings were 'poor' or worse, while only four of 266 readings in the other nine months hit those levels. M. Sree Ranjani, Joint Chief Environmental Scientist at APPCB, stated that the city's bowl-shaped terrain traps pollutants and heavier dust near the ground. Winter temperature inversions keep cooler air trapped under warmer air, pushing AQI levels higher. Twelve-month averages for PM10 at all 10 monitoring stations ranged from 84 to 135 micrograms per cubic metre, exceeding the annual standard of 60. Five of seven stations with PM2.5 data also averaged above the annual standard of 40. Sulphur dioxide and ammonia remained well below annual limits.

Action and Response

APPCB Chairman P. Krishnaiah noted that eight manual stations, three Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations, and five proposed IoT sensor-based units monitor the city's air. The Board is awaiting a peer-reviewed source apportionment study from Andhra University to identify the exact pollution shares of industry, vehicles, and road dust. The Greater Visakhapatnam Citizens' Forum recently asked the Board to speed up the integration of new monitoring stations with the central website and release the university study. Mr. Krishnaiah urged residents to use public transport, test vehicles regularly, avoid open garbage burning, cover sand and soil trucks, and stop dumping construction waste in open spaces.

Context

Industrial cities with enclosed geographical features often experience severe winter pollution spikes because cold air acts as a lid over local emissions. Regulatory bodies use fines and expanded sensor networks to track violations and enforce compliance when seasonal weather worsens local air conditions.