Indore AQI crisis; IMC officials adopt model ward approach to improve air quality

While Indore bagged the cleanest city award in the country, it is facing a severe air quality crisis. In a recent survey conducted by the Environment Ministry, Indore has been ranked with the worst air quality, amongst 37 cities. As per India AQI, Indore's current AQI is measured at 68, i.e., moderate. At present, 20.4µg/m³ of PM 2.5 particles and 41µg/m³ of PM 10 particles have contributed to the deteriorated air quality.

The 37 cities are ranked on the basis of change in the level of PM 10 particles in the air annually. While 95 cities, including, Surat and Navi Mumbai reported improvements in air quality, 37 cities including Indore reported an increased level of PM particulate. Reportedly, Indore's AQI is expected to worsen and cross the 100 mark on Sunday, October 9.

The current PM 2.5 concentration in Indore is 4.1 times the WHO's annual air quality guideline value. As per the national air quality region-specific data, AQI at the Choti Gwaltoli area is reported to be 57, while Industrial area, Pitampura has recorded an AQI of 77.

In a recent meeting, Indore civic officials decided to launch a special campaign to improve the city's air quality as per the national standards. Under the campaign, one pollution-free model ward will be developed with an advanced traffic management system to reduce the congestion in the ward. Real-time air quality data of that ward will be taken into consideration to implement necessary schemes.

In order to identify the sources of pollution in the city, a special team will be constituted to conduct an on-ground survey. The team will be tasked to find all sources of air pollution, and to come up with appropriate action to improve the air quality.

As ordered by the civic officials, the solutions identified by the survey team need to be viable for improving both the traffic situation and air quality simultaneously.