Greenpeace on national air quality index: Worried over lack of action, implementation

Greenpeace India has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative of launching the National Air Quality Index (NAQI) on Monday.

However, it said in a statement that while an AQI is a crucial step in informing the public about the quality of air, the initiative fails to talk about necessary actions that are to be in place on heavy pollution episodes.

"We welcome the launch of the National Air Quality Index but given the scale of air pollution and the impact it has on the public in Delhi and many other cities across the country, we had expected the Government to address the issue with more rigor and responsibility.

Our air-quality survey conducted inside schools across Delhi revealed that school-going children are consistently being exposed to unacceptable levels of pollution. Delhi is facing a public health emergency and an Air Quality Index needs to be matched with actionable plans on how to bring the pollution levels down, at the very least with a health advisory.

In Beijing, the purpose of an AQI is not merely to say how poor the quality of air is, but to ensure that immediate action is taken to minimise the health impacts on the public. This is merely band aid on a wound that needs stitches, the bleeding is going to continue." Aishwarya Madineni, Greenpeace campaigner, said.