National Air Quality Index Programme- Features

National Air Quality Index Programme– Features

Question - Good governance is essential for sustainable development and ecological conservation. Discuss the National Air Quality Index launched by the Government of India to lower pollution in the country.

Centre has launched real time data on air quality in larger cities bringing policy focus to key social determinant of health.

National Air Quality Index launched recently by PM Narendra Modi aims to provide awareness about the quality of data from cities, equip monitoring stations and set standards for pollutants in line with WHO recommendations

Improving the quality of air requires consideration fall in motorisation and use of fossil fuels; NGT has banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years from plying on the streets of capital cities.

National Air Quality Index

• The AQI/Air Quality Index is the essence of controlling the quality of air and lowering air pollution

• AQI has been launched for 10 cities namely Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Faridabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

• This index will have “one number, one colour and one description” to provide information to the public about air quality in a simple format

• Each of the cities will have 6 to 7 stations which will continuously monitor air quality along with AQI display boards

• AQI will be a major initiative for enhancing air quality in urban areas for enhancing public awareness and creating competitive motivation for improving air quality through air pollution mitigation

• AQI has been developed by the Central Pollution Control Board in coordination with Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and a team of experts including medical, air quality professionals as well as other technocrats and stakeholders

• Index is part of the mission of the government to introduce a culture of air pollution mitigation

• Institutional as well as infrastructural measures have also been taken for fulfilling the aim of cleanliness for all states

• Though air quality status has been traditionally reported through voluminous data, information on air quality is put in simple terms by the AQI for better public comprehension

• There are 6 AQI categories specifically Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.

• Proposed AQI will also consider a total of 8 pollutants namely PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb for which short-term of up to 24-hourly averaging period National Ambient Air Quality Standards have been prescribed.

• With respect to measured ambient concentrations, associated standards and possible impact, sub-index is calculated for each of these pollutants

• The health impact of being exposed to these pollutants for different AQI categories have been proposed with inputs from medical expert members of the group

• AQI values and corresponding ambient concentrations/health breakpoints and associated health impact for 8 identified pollutants have been calculated

Stats and Facts

• As far as Particulate Matter measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter is concerned, WHO has recommended average level of 10 micrograms per cubic metre and interim target of 40mcg/m

• India’s tolerance for a good rating is around 50

• Values for respirable particulate matter far exceed this threshold in many Indian cities

• Premature deaths of over 620,000 persons per year apart from ill health for others and loss of economic productivity are some of the consequences of high levels of air pollution in leading Indian cities

About NGT

• National Green Tribunal/NGT has been established on 18/10/2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for speedy and efficient disposal of cases pertaining to ecological conservation and protection

• The tribunal is not bound by procedures under the Code of Civil Procedure 1980 but by the principles of national justice

• New Delhi is the principal place of sitting of the tribunal while other 4 places of sitting are Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai