PM Modi launches nation's first air quality index, says India one of the least polluting countries

New Delhi: Pushing to bring down pollution levels, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India's first national air quality index on Monday. Speaking at the event, he claimed that India's contribution to the pollution level in the world is one of the lowest.

"We have given a perception to rest of the world as if we are not bothered about climate and environment. The world is tackling with the challenge of Global Warming, but they still haven't been able to find a way. No one can question India's sensitivity towards nature protection," he said.

Modi also asked Indians to practice conservation of energy. "We all should pledge that once a week we will not use any kind of products that use any kind of energy. We must think of developing ways in our lifestyle with which energy can be conserved," he said.

NAQI is a crucial step that will inform the public about the level of pollution in the air on a daily basis in real-time. The index has been launched in ten cities across the country including the national capital.

The AQI is a global standard used to understand air quality. It takes various parameters available in our national air quality standard and presents it as a cumulative on a 6 colour coded scale. Dark green denotes the cleanest and maroon denotes the most polluted.

However, the availability of this index is unlikely to make any immediate impact on improving the air quality. According to sources in the Central Pollution Control Board, there is no plan to take any action even if pollution levels remain severely high.

This stands in stark contrast with China's capital Beijing which was the most polluted city before Delhi took over the crown. In Beijing, if the pollution levels remain high for 3 consecutive days, the administration clamps down on construction, industrial activity and even imposes a cap on the vehicles entering the city.

While actionable change will take some time, the availability of the data is expected to put pressure on policy makers to take concrete steps to improving air quality.