National Pollution Control Day 2017: 5 Indian cities (other than Delhi) that have horrible air quality!

Decline in air quality because of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) is becoming a very big problem.

Looks like India is in the midst of a pollution crisis. Delhi and NCR region is engulfed with smog. The smog has also reached an immensely hazardous level with the concentration of fine particles present in the air seven times more than what is considered safe in India. The number of people with asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) has gone up by 15 to 20 percent and things are getting scarier day by day. For people who don't know what 'Smog' is, it is basically fog mixed with smoke. It is hazardous because it consists of fine particles, gases like carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO2), and ground-level ozone, which are very harmful pollutants. These chemicals are both highly reactive and oxidizing and can have a horrible impact on the health. It . It is especially harmful for children, elderly, and for people with heart and lung conditions like asthma and bronchitis. Here are some yoga asanas to reduce lung damage due to pollution.

Here's how it can affect your health:

• Wheezing
• Dryness of nose and throat
• Decreased lungs performance
• Eye and nose irritation
• Shortness of breath
• Inflammation of breathing passages
• Pain during deep inhalation
• Coughing
• Decreased Immunity
• Worse and more frequent asthma attacks
• And most importantly with regular long-term exposure, it may cause lung cancer.

Ambient Air Quality in India:

Ambient air quality determines the condition or quality of air surrounding the people in different places outdoors. There are National Ambient Air Quality Standards laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that is applicable nationwide. Before November 2009 standards, India had set Air Quality standards on 11 April 1994, and this was later revised on 14 October 1998. However, the 2009 standards further dropped the highest permissible limits for pollutants. The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants, namely, PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb. National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed and the worst reading of these pollutants represents the AQI for that city. Air quality declines because of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM). Here are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board:

Other cities apart from Delhi

While we are just talking about Delhi about its poisonous air quality let us also take a look at other cities in the city that can become equally hazardous in coming time. Corrective measures need to be taken as soon as possible to improve the air quality in the other cities too. To do so we need to understand the air quality index and the guidelines laid down by the government.

Air quality index:

Air quality index (AQI) is a number that the government agencies use to let the public know how polluted the air currently is. It must also be duly noted, time and again to know how polluted different places are going to become soon. It is a real-time AQI which means it is calculated every day.

Here are the guidelines provided by the government to measure the Air quality of a particular place:

According to the AQI, Delhi ranks on top with AQI index 965.

Here are the 5 cities that are catching up and are under the scanner of having from a high to critical AQI index:

• Muzzafarpur: 471
• Agra: 417
• Kanpur: 405
• Jodhpur: 213
• Mumbai: 171

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