Air Quality Index Launched to Disseminate Air Quality Information

National Air Quality Index (AQI) has been launched to disseminate air quality information. The AQI has six categories of air quality, viz Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor and Severe with distinct colour scheme. Each of these categories is associated with likely health impacts. AQI considers eight pollutants (PM10, PM 2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3 and Pb) for which short-term (upto 24-hourly averaging period) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed. Presently, air quality data for 10 cities are connected to AQI system which is available on the website of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Central Pollution Control Board.

The Government has taken various measures to contain air pollution in New Delhi, which interalia include, supply of cleaner fuels as per Auto Fuel Policy, use of gaseous fuel for public transport, pollution under control (PUC) certificate system for in-use vehicles, stringent source specific emission standards and their compliance, use of beneficiated coal in thermal power plants, strengthening public transport, expansion of metro train system, implementation of revised emission norms for gensets etc. At present no substantial expenditure is envisaged.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge), Shri Prakash Javadekar, in a written reply to a question by Prof M.V Rajeev Gowda in the Rajya Sabha 30 APRIL.