Lok Sabha Question No. 1622 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-08
Subject: Air Quality Index
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: MAUSAM NOOR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION N0. 1622

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.03.2016

## Air Quality Index

## 1622. SHRIMATI MAUSAM NOOR:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS  AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the  Government  has  decided  to  implement  a  revised  daily  data  collection mechanism for ascertaining Air Quality Index (AQI) in various cities, especially the metro cities where pollution is causing severe smog and health hazards;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether the Government has sought details from Maharashtra where AQI crossed the 350mark, stated to be dangerous and hazardous by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB); and
- (d)   if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) & (b) Air quality is being monitored using continuous or manual monitoring systems. Data from continuous monitoring systems are available on near real-time basis whereas for manual stations with a time lag. The National Air Quality Index (AQI) has been launched by Hon'ble Prime Minister on April 06, 2015. This is the web-based system designed to provide AQI on real time  basis  considering  eight  pollutants  i.e.  Sulphur  Dioxide,  Nitrogen  Dioxide,  Lead,  Ozone, PM10,  PM2.5,  Carbon  Monoxide  and  Ammonia  for  short  term  (upto  24  hourly)  norms  as prescribed in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS-2009). It is an automated system that captures data from continuous monitoring stations without human intervention, and displays AQI based on running average values (e.g. AQI at 6 am on a day will incorporate data for  6  am  on  previous  day  to  the  current  day).  The  AQI  is  being  calculated  on  average  of  24 hourly basis for the criteria pollutants. There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe. Each of these categories is decided based on ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts.

CPCB started disseminating the Air Quality Index (AQI) for 10 cities based on the data CAAQM stations. At present, 23 cities are connected to the web-based system of National AQI. They are Agra, Ahmadabad, Bangaluru, Chandrapur, Chennai, Delhi, Faridabad, Gaya, Gurgaon, Haldia, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Muzaffarpur, Navi Mumbai, Panchkula, Patna, Pune, Solapur and Varanasi.

(c) & (d) In Maharashtra, AQI is being monitored in two metro cities namely; Mumbai and Pune with  10  and  9  numbers  of  monitoring  stations,  respectively.  AQI  monitoring  is  being  done through  joint  program  by  Indian  Institute  of  Tropical  Meteorology,  Pune  and  Municipal Corporation of Grater Mumbai and Pune. It has been observed that the value of AQI sometimes even crosses 300 marks which falls under the category of very poor / severe in Pune whereas in Mumbai it has not crossed 300 marks. Government of Maharashtra has taken note of poor air quality  in  these  metro  cities  and  has  organized  a  stakeholders  workshop  along  with  expert organizations like NEERI and IIT Mumbai at Pune on 06.02.2016.

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