Air Quality Index - Question of Cities

Move the air pollution needle to smaller and neglected cities

Conversations and policies on air pollution are mostly centred on Delhi and Mumbai but other cities and towns have been facing toxic air too. These are, at best, footnotes in national conversations on air pollution. Authorities here go in for…

Air pollution hits women informal workers hard and different

Like other aspects of cities, air pollution too affects women and men differently. Besides the usual respiratory ailments associated with poor quality air, women’s reproductive health, mental health, even anaemia levels show adverse impacts. This is particularly acute for women…

City averages not good enough to measure air pollution

The average Air Quality Index shows only the central or typical value. It cannot be an accurate representation of air quality in different areas of cities. Beyond the average, it’s clear that some areas have cleaner air and better readings…

Lahore’s dangerous smog brought disease and death – and touched diplomacy

Through most of November, Lahore and Multan, among other places in Pakistan, suffered record-breaking air pollution that saw Air Quality Index in the 1000s. The official number seeking medical treatment for respiratory problems in smog-affected districts touched 1.8 million. Although…

Wake-up call: India’s air pollution-related deaths among highest in the world

As winter sets in, the air quality in most cities in India turns critically poor. Triggered by climate change, the situation worsens every year, impacting people’s physical and mental health. More than 2.3 million Indians died prematurely due to pollution…

‘I need to provide for my family, the air doesn’t matter’

The face masks are back in Mumbai – not because of COVID but poor air quality. Over the past two months, Mumbai’s air quality has been fluctuating from ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ on the index, leading to numerous health problems…

Clearing the air on Mumbai’s smoggy atmosphere

When Mumbai’s air quality deteriorated and overtook Delhi to make the financial capital the most polluted city in the country, the alarm bells rang loud and clear. For several days in January and February, Mumbaikars woke up to smog-enveloped surroundings…

Right to clean air: Stop the smog

The Right to Environment includes the right to clean air. But are we really breathing clean air? The rising ailments show that living with polluted air has proven to adversely affect people’s health and even reduce life span or lead…