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An air quality index (AQI) is an indicator developed by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. As air pollution levels rise, so does the AQI, along with the associated public health risk. Children, the elderly and individuals with respiratory or cardiovascular problems are typically the first groups affected by poor air quality. When the AQI is high, governmental bodies generally encourage people to reduce physical activity outdoors, or even avoid going out altogether. When wildfires result in a high AQI, the use of a mask outdoors and an air purifier indoors are also encouraged.
Environmental issues in Pakistan include air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, climate change, pesticide misuse, soil erosion, natural disasters, desertification and flooding. According to the 2020 edition of the environmental performance index (EPI) ranking released by Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, Pakistan ranks 142 with an EPI score of 33.1, an increase of 6.1 over a 10-year period. It ranked 180 in terms of air quality. The climatic changes and global warming are the most alarming issues risking millions of lives across the country. The major reasons of these environmental issues are carbon emissions, population explosion, and deforestation.
The Air Pollution Index is a simple and generalized way to describe the air quality, which is used in Malaysia. It is calculated from several sets of air pollution data and was formerly used in mainland China and Hong Kong. In mainland China the API was replaced by an updated air quality index in early 2012 and on 30 December 2013 Hong Kong moved to a health based index.
Pollution in China is one aspect of the broader topic of environmental issues in China. Various forms of pollution have increased following the industrialisation of China, causing widespread environmental and health problems.
This article discusses topics related to the environment of Pakistan.
Air Pollution in Mexico City has been of concern to the city's population and health officials for decades. In the 20th century, Mexico City's population rapidly increased as industrialization brought thousands of migrants from all over the world. Such a rapid and unexpected growth led to the UN declaring Mexico City as the most polluted city in the world in 1992. This was partly due to Mexico City's high altitude, which causes its oxygen levels to be 25% lower. Carbon-based fuels also do not combust completely. Other factors include the proliferation of vehicles, rapid industrial growth, and the population boom. The Mexican government has several active plans to reduce emission levels which require citizen participation, vehicular restrictions, increase of green areas, and expanded bicycle accessibility.
Air pollution is the release of pollutants into the air that are detrimental to human health and the Earth. In Canada, air pollution is regulated by standards set by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), an inter-governmental body of federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for the environment. Air pollution from the United States and to lesser extent Canada; caused by metal smelting, coal-burning for utilities, and vehicle emissions has resulted in acid rain, has severely impacted Canadian waterways, forest growth, and agricultural productivity.
Particulates or atmospheric particulate matter are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The term aerosol refers to the particulate/air mixture, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes defined as a subset of aerosol terminology. Sources of particulate matter can be natural or anthropogenic. They have impacts on climate and precipitation that adversely affect human health, in ways additional to direct inhalation.
A dense wave of smog began in Northeast China, especially in major cities including Harbin, Changchun and Shenyang, as well as the surrounding Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces on 20 October 2013. Unseasonably warm temperatures with very little wind across northeastern China coincided with the initiation of Northeast China's coal-powered municipal heating system. Record densities of fine particulates were measured in the city.
The 2013 Eastern China smog was a severe air pollution episode that affected East China, including all or parts of the municipalities of Shanghai and Tianjin, and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, and Zhejiang, during December 2013. A lack of cold air flow, combined with slow-moving air masses carrying industrial emissions, collected airborne pollutants to form a thick layer of smog over the region. Levels of PM2.5 particulate matter averaged over 150 micrograms per cubic metre; in some areas, they were 300 to 500 micrograms per cubic metre.
Pristina, the capital of the Republic of Kosovo, is the country's most populated city, with more than 200,000 inhabitants. Its air pollution level are similar to those of Beijing, Mumbai and New Delhi. The main sources of Pristina's air pollution include power plant emissions during energy production, household emissions and traffic.
The air quality in Delhi, the capital territory of India, according to a WHO survey of 1,650 world cities, and a survey of 7,000 world cities by the US-based Health Effects Institute in August 2022, is the worst of any major city in the world. It also affects the districts around Delhi. Air pollution in India is estimated to kill about 2 million people every year; it is the fifth largest killer in India. India has the world's highest death rate from chronic respiratory diseases and asthma, according to the WHO. In Delhi, poor quality air irreversibly damages the lungs of 2.2 million or 50 percent of all children.
The World Health Organization guidelines were most recently updated in 2021. The guidelines offer guidance about these air pollutants: particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). The WHO first released the air quality guidelines in 1987, then updated them in 1997. The reports provide guidelines intending to give guidelines to reduce the health effects of air pollution.
Bangladesh, with an area of 147,570 km2, features a flood plain landscape and several river systems throughout the country. This landscape provides the major natural resources of water, land, fisheries, forests, and wildlife. The country currently faces several environmental issues which threaten these resources, including groundwater metal contamination, increased groundwater salinity, cyclones and flooding, and sedimentation and changing patterns of stream flow due to watershed mismanagement. Some of these, such as the changing patterns of stream flow and presence of lead in groundwater, can be directly correlated with human activity and industrial processes, while others, such as cyclones and flooding are naturally occurring issues.
Air pollution in Taiwan is mostly derived from sources of domestic combustion, primarily the burning of fossil fuels. Taiwan's topography has been noted to be a contributing factor to its air pollution problem, leading to poor dispersal and trapping pollutants. Taipei, Taiwan's capital and largest city for example, is surrounded by mountains, and other industrial centers along the northern and western coasts of Taiwan are surrounded by high mountains.
Air pollution in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan is a recurring issue.
The pollution in Bhiwadi, according to IQAir, is the most polluted in the world. As of Central Pollution Control Board, It becomes most polluted city during Diwali in India. The pollution level was ranked fourth in 2021. It has the air quality index of 106.2 in 2021 and 228 in 2022. It is also the most polluted city in India whose pollution is more than air pollution in Delhi. The PM 2.5 of this city is twenty times more than the maximum level recommended by the World Health Organization. In November 2022, the air quality index of Bhiwadi is 412.
Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, is facing a major air pollution problem. The city, once known for its fresh air and colorful flowers, is now burdened by pollution. Rapid urbanization and population growth have led to increased vehicular and industrial activity, worsening air quality. The city's air quality has been ranked as hazardous, with an air quality index (AQI) of 4441. This level is 500 times more dangerous than the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The 2024 Indo-Pakistani smog is a severe, record-breaking air pollution event that affected Eastern and Northern Pakistan and North India in November 2024, primarily in the Pakistani city of Lahore and Indian city of Delhi. The smog resulted in the overwhelming of the Pakistani healthcare system due to respiratory disease and throat and eye irritations, leading to widespread school closures and restrictions on public activities particularly in Pakistan's Punjab region.
References
- ↑ "Karachi Air Quality Index (AQI) and Pakistan Air Pollution | IQAir". www.iqair.com. November 4, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 "Karachi's air quality worsening". Brecorder. February 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Pakistan's Karachi ranks first for highest pollution on US Air Quality index". Arab News PK. October 10, 2022.
- ↑ "PM2.5 in a megacity of Asia (Karachi): Source apportionment and health effects. in SearchWorks articles". searchworks-lb.stanford.edu.
- ↑ "A polluted Karachi". The Express Tribune. March 4, 2022.
- ↑ "Karachi's air quality worsening". 28 February 2022.
- ↑ "Karachi world's fourth largest polluted city: report". The Express Tribune. February 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Karachi world's fourth largest polluted city: report". February 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Karachiites urged to wear face masks amid worsening air quality". www.thenews.com.pk.