Au. Mahajan et al., ENVIRONMENTAL-QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF PORT-BLAIR IN ANDAMAN-ISLANDS, Environmental monitoring and assessment, 41(3), 1996, pp. 203-217
The Andman and Nicobar archipelago comprises of about 556 small and bi
g islands covering an area of 8493 sq, kms in the Bay of Bengal. The v
ery remoteness of these islands from the mainland has preserved their
pristine environment and spectacular natural beauty. The Andman and Ni
cobar Administration is going for major developmental projects to cope
with the increasing needs of the people, which ultimately results in
significant changes in environmental quality. This paper describes the
existing environmental quality around Port Blair city, which will giv
e baseline scenario to assess the environmental impacts due to develop
ments in the future. In order to monitor the air quality of the region
, sampling stations were selected based on the locations of various in
dustries and domestic activities. Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM),
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) were monitored for a p
eriod of one month during winter season. In addition, micrometeorologi
cal data, viz. wind speed and direction were also recorded and analyse
d to obtain the representative meteorological scenario of the air basi
n. The monitored values of ambient air quality was found to be within
the NAAQ standards of India. Similarly, noise levels were also measure
d at various locations viz., residential areas, commercial centres, vi
llages, stone quarry sites and construction sites. Noise levels were f
ound to exceed the standards at stone quarry, construction sites and o
ther locations. Water quality studies were carried out with respect to
surface and ground water. The various physico- chemical and bacteriol
ogical parameters were analysed. It was observed that the physicochemi
cal parameters of surface and ground water lie within the standards st
ipulated for Indian subcontinent except for heavy metals which exceed
the limits in ground water samples. Bacteriological analysis of sea wa
ter and ground water indicate that they are contaminated with faecal m
atters. Further, the ground water can be used for drinking purposes on
ly after adequate treatment.