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# | station | US AQI |
---|---|---|
1 | Model Town, Patiala - PPCB | 173 |
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Avoid outdoor exercise | |
Close your windows to avoid dirty outdoor air GET A MONITOR | |
Wear a mask outdoors GET A MASK | |
Run an air purifier GET AN AIR PURIFIER |
Get an AirVisual Outdoor and contribute to collecting millions of data points for the Patiala map to track local air pollution
There is a large quantity of information about air quality on the air pollution map for Patiala and it is very easy to access from the main city page. Clicking on the live air pollution map of Patiala will encourage another page to open which is filled with all relevant information about air quality.
Once this new page has opened, the first thing a viewer will notice is the overall colour of the background of the map. This is a visual way of displaying the current air quality. The colours are standard across the entire IQAir website and vary from pale green to dark maroon. The darker colours represent worsening air quality. It is currently dark orange and represents air quality classified as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” with a US AQI reading of 127.
There are often several coloured circles or discs scattered across the map which show the locations of the ground-level air monitoring stations. However, not all cities have such physical stations and, instead, rely on data collected by overhead satellites. Patiala is one such city that has no physical stations, but the results are just the same.
The discs that are visible each display a number at their centre which is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. This is calculated by taking the measurements of up to six of the most prolific pollutants found in city air. The pollutants are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Once calculated, the figure is used as a standard when comparing levels of air quality in different locations. It is actively encouraged by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Returning to the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured banner across the top of the page that during February 2023, Patiala was experiencing a period of air quality classified as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”. The asterisk to the right of the US AQI reading denotes that the figure was obtained from data which was collected by satellites. The main pollutant was found to be PM2.5 with a recorded level of 46.2 µg/m³ which is over nine times the suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³, as recommended by the WHO.
There is a lot more interesting information about air quality on the air pollution map for Patiala. It is very easy to access by selecting the icon which is found at the top right-hand side of the map which will re-open the page in full-screen mode and allow all the information to be clearly seen. A list of four options will be visible on the left-hand side of the screen which can all be turned off or on individually to see the effects they each have on the map.
The first option would show the locations of the ground-level air monitoring stations. There are no physical stations in Patiala so the nearest station is at Chandigarh to the north east of the city. Each disc can be individually selected to further explore that specific location. The next option shows the position of any wildfires that might be burning out of control in the vicinity. Currently, there is one fire burning in the direction of Chandigarh. When fires are detected, option four can show the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and will indicate where the smoke might blow.
The third option reveals the current air quality and it does this by colouring the background of the map to reflect this. If the air quality is poor, then the map will take on quite a dark colour which could be confusing and a little distracting. In this case, the option can be deactivated and the map will revert to a more subdued colour palette.
There is more information on the right-hand side of the screen where a table can be seen. This table shows the seven most polluted cities throughout the world. By looking at the full ranking section, the rest of the world’s cities will appear in descending order.
Whilst the direct source of the polluted air is not directly shown on the air quality map for Patiala, it is well-known that the region in general, is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. The population of this region is more than 600 million. Therefore, to meet the energy requirements of such a large population, fuel is burnt on a large scale, releasing a large number of pollutants and particulate matter into the air. In addition, many small towns here have poor waste management practices, burn large amounts of solid fuel, and use more motorized vehicles than non-motorized vehicles.
Also, the prevailing wind direction here for most of the year is from north-west to east and it blows more rapidly during winter. As a result, it also brings with it the pollution generated elsewhere in these areas.
Fine particles, or particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), refers to small particles or droplets in the air that are two and a half microns or less in width. There are approximately 25,000 microns in an inch. Larger particles in the PM2.5 size range will have a width approximately thirty times smaller than a human hair.
There are external and internal sources of fine particles. Outdoors, fine particles come primarily from the exhaust of cars, lorries, buses and off-road vehicles (e.g., construction equipment, locomotives), other operations that involve burning fuels such as wood, heating oil or coal, and natural sources. Forest and grass fires also contribute to the amount of pollution affecting everybody. Fine particles are also formed by the reaction of gases or droplets in the atmosphere from sources such as power plants. These chemical reactions can occur miles away from the original source of emissions. In New Delhi, some of the fine particulate matter measured in the air is carried by the wind from sources outside the area. Because fine particles can be transported long distances from their source, events such as wildfires or volcanic eruptions can raise concentrations of fine particles hundreds of miles from the event.
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