Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches India's first Air Quality Index(AQI)Monday April 06,2015

 

In the NDA Govt's fight against air pollution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday take the crucial step of launching the first national air quality index. The index will inform the public about the level of pollution in the air on a daily basis in real-time

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday April 06,2015 launched India's first Air Quality Index(AQI)to monitor pollution level at the two-day conference of State Environment and Forest Ministers.

The Air Quality Index will be launched in ten cities across the country including the national capital

The Air Quality Index(AQI) is a global standard used to understand air quality.

It takes various parameters available in our national air quality standard and presents it as a cumulative on a 6 colour coded scale

Dark green denotes the cleanest and maroon denotes the most polluted.

However, the availability of this index is unlikely to make any immediate impact on improving the air quality

According to sources in the Central Pollution Control Board, there is no plan to take any action even if pollution levels remain severely high

This stands in stark contrast with China's capital Beijing which was the most polluted city before Delhi took over the crown.

 In Beijing, if the pollution levels remain high for 3 consecutive days, the administration clamps down on construction, industrial activity and even imposes a cap on the vehicles entering the city.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar informed that the service will be expanded to 46 cities with a population of 1 million or more each and 20 state capitals in the next couple of years.