While launching the proposed new National Air Quality Index (AQI), Union minister of state for environment Prakash Javadekar on Friday said this government won’t allow a ‘business as usual’ scenario. Formulating the Index was taking the Swachch Bharat (Clean India) campaign a step further, he said, adding that AQI, was a ‘One Number- One Colour-One Description’ for people to judge air quality.
Mr. Javadekar said a team of 20 experts has created a comparable and comprehensive index, which will indicate the quality of air in a city and its impact on health. The report of the AQI will be put up on the website of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to seek public comments for 45 days after which the Index will be finalised.
The AQI will consider eight pollutants, PM (particulate matter) 10, PM 2.5, Nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, lead and ammonia for which National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed.
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The government had set up an Expert Committee after reports of Delhi having the worst air quality in the world earlier this year, so that India could evolve its own standards for pollution index in cities. Though the CPCB and state pollution control boards have been operating the National Air Monitoring Programme covering 240 cities, the AQI is an attempt to effectively disseminate air quality information to the people.
Susheel Kumar, chairperson of CPCB said, “We wanted to come out with our own Index and it is a technical AQI and not a government supported one.” In the initial phase the monitoring of AQI will take place in 46 cities with a million plus population and 20 state capitals. Later it will be expanded to smaller cities. The state pollution control boards have agreed to adopt the Index, he said. There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe, with associated health impacts.
Mukesh Sharma, from IIT Kanpur, which did the technical study for the AQI said while Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) was not part of the criteria for the AQI, the focus was on having pollutants which would impact health in a serious way. It is for the first time India will have an index for cities to determine the level of pollution and health impacts. While the earlier measuring index was limited to three indicators, the current measurement index had been made quite comprehensive by the addition of five additional parameters.
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