Amid heavy bursting of firecrackers over the Diwali weekend, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Pune city was categorised as ‘very poor’.
For instance, as per data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s system of air quality and weather forecasting and research (IITM-Safar), particulate matter or PM2.5 levels skyrocketed, hitting a barrier 3.25 times higher than the permissible limit of 60µg/m3.
Citizens from a locality of Bhosari populated by industrial units told TOI that they were well aware in advance how the four days of festivities — Oct 31 to Nov 4 — might see higher pollution levels. Hence, they decided to record these figures to have some concrete data on hand.
In this vein, a team comprising Prashant Raul, Rahul Gholap, Jay Bhat, Prakash Jukantwar and Sharmila Deo of Parisar (an organisation working for sustainable development) set out on an ‘AQI walk’ through Bhosari and other areas of Pimpri Chinchwad, tracking the deteriorating air quality.
“On Nov 2, the AQI reached an average of 767 in Indrayaninagar between 7.30pm and 9.30pm. This is catastrophic. It is the air people are breathing, and these levels could cause severe health issues in everyone, whether sensitive groups like senior citizens, children and those with comorbidities, or even healthy persons,” said Raul, who came up with the plan for the AQI walks.
He said, “Air pollution is like a slow poison. Thousands die across the globe because of it and yet, in areas like Bhosari, where there are multiple industrial units, authorities seem to take no preventive action. This needs to change.”
Commenting on existing efforts being inadequate, Raul further said, “The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) seems to have deployed fogging vehicles and air mist dispensers at some locations — but does this really help? Tracking pollution was initially easy on the IITM-Safar app, but that shut down a few months ago. So, I reached out to Parisar for their Air Veda monitor as our AQI walk was the need of the hour.”
The team covered areas like Indrayaninagar, Nashik Phata, Vallabhnagar and Sant Tukaram Nagar, among others. They also interacted with those bursting firecrackers and curious onlookers who asked about the AQI measuring device. The team members explained to such people the concept of AQI, what factors contribute to it, how it affects our health, which device is used to measure it and how to do so.
Raul pointed out, “We received a lot of negative feedback on cultural grounds. However, we engaged with everyone to explain the practical reality.”
Team members told TOI that the greater the density of pollutants in the air, the higher the AQI goes. Starting from zero, AQI recorded from 0-50 is considered safe, 50-100 moderate, 100-150 unhealthy for sensitive groups, 150-200 unhealthy, 200-300 very unhealthy and 300-500 hazardous.
Deo, who through Parisar has been an advocate against rising air pollution, said, “The AQI during Diwali was either ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ across the city. Reasons for air quality decline can be a combination of factors like rainfall reduction, changes in climatic conditions, vehicular emissions, construction and road dust, garbage burning, etc. Bursting firecrackers deteriorates it further.”
She said, “There needs to be serious consideration about banning crackers as the health of all living beings can be majorly compromised by this trend. People found it difficult to breathe during Diwali days due to congestion caused by a haze of toxic fumes. There needs to be much more awareness about the impacts of firecrackers to bring about behavioural changes.”
Recent Comments