Urban Air Quality - A Cause of Concern

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Introduction

City life depends heavily on urban air quality. This is evident in the National Capital Region (NCR) during the peak of the winter season each year. The winter season measures high AQI in NCR. The number of patients visiting hospitals with various diseases increases. People with asthma find their symptoms aggravated in winter due to air pollution. This is a textbook case of urban air quality influencing the health of people in urban areas.

Air monitoring


Air Quality Index

The term "urban air quality" refers to the condition and cleanliness of the air within cities and densely populated areas. It is largely determined by the amount of particulate matter or pollutants present in an area. It is usually measured as the Air Quality Index (AQI). It is a single number and color-coded scale. Governments use it to communicate how polluted the air currently is in a city. The color code represents the severity of health issues due to air pollution.

higher AQI


Urban Air Quality

Nowadays, pollutants present in the air are increasing. Natural sources of air pollution are spores, suspended particles, etc. Despite the presence of natural particular matter, the air quality remained within normal limits for many years in the past. Man-made particles polluted the atmosphere on a large scale due to increased industrial activity. Removal of suspended particulates may not offset the scale at which man-made particles are released into the atmosphere. Air quality is slowly deteriorating, putting people’s lives at risk. AQI is measured by continuous monitoring of air present in an area. 

higher AQI


Mechanism

Air quality in the atmosphere keeps changing depending upon the season. In peak summer and rainy seasons, pollutants suspended in the air diminish due to various processes. During summer, the air movement disperses particulate matter. Suspended particles get washed away in the rainy season, cleaning the wet air. On the other hand, there is no air movement during the winter season. This is the reason why air quality worsens during the winter seasons, resulting in higher AQI.

AQI in hazardous levels

    

Plummeting Air Quality Concerns

Mainly, the health issues increase with the decrease in air quality. It is mainly due to pollutants suspended in the air. This is reflected in higher AQI. Other effects of air pollution are the following.

  1. Affects the lungs and heart: People with any lung infection, asthma, or cardiac issues should consult a doctor well before it starts affecting the daily routine.
  2. DNA Mutation: Some of the suspended pollutants are able to change the course by which body cells replicate. The mutated genes may affect the normal functioning of cells.
  3. Lessened Visibility: A person driving through the road of NCR will not be able to look ahead. This is due to the formation of thick fog in the atmosphere. So, the continuous monitoring of air shows higher AQI. The lack of visibility due to fog increases the chances of an accident. The flight's departure gets rescheduled on account of poor air pollution.
  4. Lower Temperature: The thick covering of fog disallows the passage of sun rays, bringing the temperature further down. So, the air pollution plummets the temperature in the surroundings.

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