Diwali is yet to arrive, but the air quality index (AQI) is again breaching all thresholds, and has swiftly moved into very severe and critical categories across different cities in India, particularly in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. As per data from the Sameer weather app of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (download it from Google Play Store and iOS App Store) that maps hourly data from 228 cities in India, the worst affected cities that are in the red on 6 November 2023 include Bhiwadi (463), Delhi (433), Sonipat (427), Faridabad (424), Fatehabad (415), Greater Noida (414), Ghaziabad (403), Noida (397), Jind (397), Hisar (370), Gurugram (368), Meerut (366), Hapur (364), Kaithal (354), Dholpur (351), Rohtak (343), Bhiwani (341), Narnaul (341), Dharuhera (341), Purnia (336), Ballabhgarh (335), Manesar (330), Hanumangarh (327), Bharatpur (322), Churu (322), Sri Ganganagar (317), Muzaffarnagar (315), Muzaffarpur (310), Saharsa (309), Sirsa (308) and Rajgir (304). According to a news report in Business Today, AQI in Delhi's Anand Vihar area was recorded at a staggering 999 at 7:00 AM on 6 November 2023, making it the worst hit area. Mint adds that the AQI in Noida touched 616 at the same time.
Not far behind, and in the orange category are Katihar (294), Alwar (285), Jaisalmer (285), Ulhasnagar (284), Gwalior (282), Dhanbad (277), Dausa (274), Navi Mumbai (273), Kurukshetra (272), Bhagalpur (272), Bathinda (271), Amritsar (270), Jhunjhunu (270), Byrnihat (269), Ludhiana (262), Bulandshahr (262), Baghpat (262), Charkhi Dadri (262), Kishanganj (261), Patna (260), Chhapra (257), Lucknow (252), Badlapur (248), Bhopal (242), Firozabad (242), Jaipur (241), Karnal (240), Mandi Gobindgarh (233), Bundi (225), Agartala (219), Angul (218), Indore (216), Khanna (215), Katni (215), Patiala (213), Jalandhar (212), Asansol (212), Ankleshwar (212), Tonk (212), Gorakhpur (211), Hajipur (208), Kota (207), Vrindavan (205) and Jalgaon (204).
Taking a dig at the irony, veteran Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared a WhatsApp forwarded meme on X (earlier Twitter), mocking new names of Delhi’s polluted areas to Chandni Choke, Haze Khas, Dhua Kuan and Pollutyens’ Delhi.
AQI is calculated on the basis of eight pollutants in the air including particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), ammonia (NH3), and lead (Pb).
AQI of 201-300 means poor, while 301-400 means very poor. 401-500 is categorized as severe AQI. In terms of its health impact, a poor air quality index (201-300) may cause breathing discomfort to people on prolonged exposure, and discomfort to people with heart disease. Very poor AQI (301-400) may cause respiratory illness to the people on prolonged exposure. Effect may be more pronounced in people with lung and heart diseases. Severe AQI (401-500) may result in serious health impacts on people with lung/heart disease as well as respiratory impact even on healthy people. What’s worse, such health impacts may even be experienced during light physical activity.
A key thing to keep in mind is that even if your city is not in the warning signal category, it doesn’t mean that you can be casual about your personal respiratory health. Mere pollution mask may not be enough. With hazardous air quality becoming an annual affair, you need to seriously consider investing in your lung health and strengthening your immunity. American Lung Association provides 10 Simple Steps to Your Healthiest Lungs.
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