With Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a national air quality index (AQI), India on Monday joined a global club which includes the US, France, China and Mexico that have implemented such an alert system.The system will give details of air quality and information on its likely health implications for city dwellers. India's AQI will initially be available to people in 10 cities -Delhi, Faridabad, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. It will help people in these cities take precautions on days when the air quality is particularly poor.
Other cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata and Chandigarh, will come under the national indexing network in a couple of months when their pollution control boards are ready with the new and updated round-the-clock monitoring stations. All metropolitan cities and state capitals that do not get access to the Air Quality Index will have a similar facility made available to them within a year or two. The central agencies have taken into account eight pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, ammonia and lead while calculating and releasing the AQI.The index, using continuous 24-hour average data, will be made available daily from various monitoring stations in those cities.
The move, which will not only enhance public awareness but also create a competitive environment among cities to mitigate air pollution, was welcomed by environmentalists and think-tanks.
Source:-http:www.timesofindia.com