Panchkula air quality map

How much interesting information about air quality can be seen on the air pollution map for Panchkula?

There is a wealth of fascinating information about air quality and it is very easy to access from the main city page. Just selecting the map icon will open a new page which is filled with lots of superb information about air quality.

Once the new page has opened, the viewer will be met with a solid block of colour which is a direct representation of the current air quality. The colours can vary from pale green to dark maroon where the darker colours show worsening air quality. These colours are standard across the entire IQAir website. The present colour indicates “Moderate” air quality.

There are usually many coloured discs dotted across the map which show the location of the ground-level air monitoring stations. However, not all cities have physical stations and instead, rely on data collected by overhead satellites for information about air quality. Panchkula is one such city without physical stations. There is one disc over the neighbouring city of Chandigarh which reveals a number at its centre. This figure is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. It is calculated by taking measurements of up to six of the most prolific pollutants found in city air. These are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. Once the figure has been calculated, it can be used as a metric when comparing air quality in different cities across the world. The entire system has the backing of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Going back to the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured banner at the top of the page that during February 2023, Panchkula was experiencing a period of air quality which was classified as being “Moderate” with a US AQI reading of 89. The asterisk to the right of the figure indicates that the data is collected from overhead satellites. The main pollutant was PM2.5 with a recorded level of 30.2 µg/m³ which is six times higher than the target figure of 5 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO.

Can any more information about air quality be found on the air pollution map for Panchkula?

There is more information about air quality on the air pollution map for Panchkula but the page needs to be viewed at maximum size so that all the information is visible. By selecting the icon at the top of the opening page, a new one will open at maximum size which shows all available information. A list of four options will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. Each of these choices can be turned on and off to see the effects they each have on the map.

The first option would show the locations of the ground-level air monitoring stations but there are none directly over the city. The nearest one can be explored further by clicking on it so that a new page will open with information about that specific location.

The next option shows the position of any wildfires that might be burning out of control in the area. Currently, there are no such icons on the air pollution map for Panchkula so none have yet been detected. When fires are detected, option four needs to be consulted because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and gives a good indication of where the resultant smoke will blow.

The third option controls the background colour of the map which is used to illustrate the current level of air quality. If the solid block of colour is too off-putting, the option can be deactivated so the colour will return to a more subdued palette.

There is more information on the right-hand side of the screen. A table can be found here which ranks the top seven most polluted cities in the world. By opening the full-ranking section, the rest of the participating cities can be seen in descending order.

Can the source of the polluted air be seen on the air quality map for Panchkula?

The source of the polluted air is not shown directly on the air quality map for Panchkula, but it is well-known that many factors contribute to air pollution in Panchkula and the main one is transport where an abundance of poorly maintained vehicles, use of low-quality petrol, and poor regulation make transport a major air polluting sector. Due to the huge increase in these means, the number of engines, buses, aeroplanes, scooters etc. is increasing very fast. All these vehicles are continuously working to create an imbalance in the atmosphere with their smoke.

The speed at which the population is increasing in a country like India is one of the biggest indicators of increasing air pollution. The biggest reason behind this is the indiscriminate use of natural resources. Earlier this problem was limited to the cities only, but now this problem is increasing in the villages. Due to the increasing population, there has also been a huge increase in industrialisation. Due to providing employment to the people, the poisonous air coming out of the industry has polluted the air.

How dangerous is PM2.5 which is seen on the air pollution map for Panchkula?

According to the news PM2.5 and PM10 is the scale to measure air quality. PM stands for Particulate Matter which measures the microscopic particles in the air. PM2.5 and 10 measure the size of the particles present in the air. The lower the PM number, the smaller the particles present in the air.

The combustion of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel or wood produces more PM2.5. Due to its smaller size, particulate matter can be drawn deeper into the lungs and can be more harmful than PM10.

These fine particles of pollution can cause breathing problems and aggravate diseases and health conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory infections and heart disease. Moreover, smog, which is a mixture of smoke and air pollution, causes severe damage to your lungs.

Air pollution has the most effect on our lungs. But, due to continuous exposure to pollution, other parts of the body are also affected. Due to air pollution, many problems such as rashes on the body, wrinkles on the skin, and allergies also start. Due to air pollution, premature ageing is felt. Problems like burning, itching and watery eyes also increase due to polluted air.