Environment ministry launches national air quality index

The index is classified into six categories with different colour coding

Concerned about the rising air pollution level in cities, the environment ministry on Friday launched a tool for people to measure air quality in their vicinity. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar launched the national Air Quality Index (AQI), terming it “one number, one colour, one description” measure which will widely classify daily air quality and inform people in a simple manner.

Javadekar referred to it as one of the initiatives under the Swacch Bharat Mission of the government.

The index is classified into six categories — good, satisfactory, moderately polluted, poor, very poor, and severe — with colour coding ranging from green to dark red. This index transforms various air pollution levels into a single number for a simple description of air quality to citizens.

The AQI is aimed at quickly disseminating air quality information real-time that entails the system to account for pollutants which have short-term impacts.

The AQI will prompt the local authorities to take quick action to improve air quality and is aimed at people's participation in the process. Citizens can avoid unnecessary exposure to air pollutants, the union environment ministry said.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) welcomed this move and said this can help people take precautions on days with poor air quality.

"CSE has been demanding adoption of this programme as this can help people understand the quality of air and the possible health effects. This is needed to demystify complex air quality data, help promote public awareness and build public pressure for effective air pollution control in cities," said Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE's executive director-research and advocacy and head of its air pollution team.

The proposed AQI will map eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3 and Pb) for which short term (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed.

This index was developed by an expert group comprising medical professionals, air quality experts, academia, NGOs, and state pollution control boards.