HRF warns, Vizag air is a ‘slow and silent poison’

The Human Rights Forum (HRF), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana coordination committee member, V.S. Krishna has voiced serious concerns over the drastic increase in air pollution levels in Visakhapatnam city. He alleged that the Air Quality Index (AQI), has breached all permissible limits, turning the city’s air into a ‘slow and silent poison’.

Referring to several media reports, Mr. Krishna said that the concentrations of toxic gases and fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) have surged far beyond the safety thresholds. “This is not an accident of weather but the result of structural failure. It is a saga of misplaced priorities, years of neglect, of prioritising industrial profits over human lives, official inaction and a blatant disregard for the citizens’ fundamental right to a safe and healthy environment,” he alleged, adding that the government’s new slogan of ‘speed of doing business’, has turned into a license for unchecked pollution and regulatory collapse.

Over years, Vizag’s residents have been choking on polluted air with respiratory illnesses soaring. Citizens struggle with clogged noses, sore throats and burning and itchy eyes. Asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis and a host of pollution-induced ailments are surging at an alarming rate, he said. Areas near industrial and high traffic zones where the emissions are higher are the worst affected. Each winter, thermal inversions and scant rainfall trap pollutants close to the ground, pushing AQI levels to perilous peaks.

The HRF accused the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) of failing to enforce environmental laws or hold polluters accountable. He said: “The APPCB have often acted in ways protecting the violators and enable impunity by betraying their statutory mandate to protect public health and the environment.”

He further added that despite the worsening air pollution, there is still no comprehensive clean-air plan, no real-time alerts, no designated low-emission zones, and no sustained public advisories. Those violating the norms continue to operate with impunity, often shielded by official inaction. Such neglect is a serious abdication of the State’s duty to safeguard public health and the environment thereby causing severe health repercussions for countless residents. The impact is especially severe on children, the poor and elderly as well as those already battling pre-existing health conditions.