Environment ministry launches colour coding system to monitor air quality

In order to make it easy for the common man to judge the air quality within his vicinity, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has launched the National Air Quality Index (AQI) by which an area will be assigned a colour code based on the air quality. Speaking on the occasion, Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change, termed the AQI as ‘one number, one colour, one description’ measure which will widely classify daily air quality and inform people in a simple manner. He added that the formulation of the index was a continuation of the initiatives under Swachh Bharat Mission envisioned by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 
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, said Javadekar.
 
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.
 
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.