Pithampur air quality map

Is there a lot of information about air quality on the air pollution map for Pithampur?

There is a wealth of quality information about air pollution on the air pollution map for Pithampur and it is very easy to find. Clicking on the air pollution map will open a new page which is filled with useful information about air quality in Pithampur.

Once this new page is opened, the first thing to strike the viewer will be the overall colour of the map which is a direct indication of the air quality at that specific time. Currently, it is a mustard yellow which signifies “Moderate” air quality.

There are very often several coloured discs dotted across the map which indicate the location of the ground-level air quality monitoring stations. However, not all cities have physical stations and, instead, rely on data collected by overhead satellites for their information about air quality. Pithampur is one such city without physical stations. If the viewer expands the map, many discs will appear showing air quality in other locations. They all display the same set of colours which can range from pale green through to dark maroon and are used across the entire IQAir website.

These discs display a number at their centre which is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US short. It is calculated by recording the measurements of up to six of the most commonly found pollutants in city air. They are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. When the figure has been calculated, it can be use as a metric when making comparisons in air quality in different cities across the globe. It has the full backing of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Going back to the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured banner across the top of the page that the current state of the air reveals it to be “Moderate” with a US AQI reading of 57. The main pollutant was found to be PM2.5 with a recorded level of 15.1 µg/m³. This figure is slightly over three times the suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³, as recommended by the WHO.

Is there much more information about air quality on the air pollution map for Pithampur?

There is a lot more very interesting information about air quality on the air pollution map for Pithampur and it is very easy to find from the main city page. Once the map has opened, a symbol will be seen at the top of the screen which maximizes the size of the screen and allows all information to be seen. A list of four options should be seen down the left-hand side of the screen which can individually be turned on or off to see the effects they each have on the map.

The first option would show the location of the ground-level air monitoring stations but, as already stated, there are no such physical stations in the city. The closest ones seem to be around the city of Ahmedabad to the west. The second option shows the location of any wildfires there are that are burning in the area. Currently there are three icons on the map showing fires towards the south east of the city. This is when option four should be looked into because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and gives a good indication of where the smoke will blow.

The third option visually shows the current air quality by colouring the map using the standard colours. Sometimes this colour might be too dark and overpowering in which case the option can be deactivated and the map will revert to a more subdued colour palette.

There are more facts about air pollution on the right-hand side of the screen where a table can be found. This table shows the level of air pollution in the seven most polluted world cities. The rest of the participating cities can be found under the full ranking section.

Is the source of all the polluted air visible on the air quality map for Pithampur?

Whilst the direct source of the polluted air is not directly shown on the air quality map for Pithampur, it is well-known that Pithampur is an industrial town in the Dhar district and is getting rapidly urbanised. Here the population is continuously increasing and in such a situation, pollution is also increasing. Air pollution is becoming a major concern. Due to population urbanization and industrial activities, a very worrying situation has arisen. Pithampur is the only place which has more population than the district headquarters. The population of Dhar city is around 100,000 while that of Pithampur is around 300,000. This population is permanent whereas more than 50,000 people reach here every day by various means of transport. This is putting a lot of pressure on the system and at the same time, the movement of vehicles is increasing rapidly, about 32,000 vehicles from outside areas are coming to Pithampur every day, which is a major factor in air pollution.

Where does PM2.5 and PM10 come from that we always see on the air pollution map for Pithampur?

PM10 and PM2.5 often derive from different emissions sources, and also have different chemical compositions. Emissions from combustion of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel or wood produce much of the PM2.5 pollution found in outdoor air, as well as a significant proportion of PM10. PM10 also includes dust from construction sites, landfills and agriculture, wildfires and brush/waste burning, industrial sources, wind-blown dust from open lands, pollen and fragments of bacteria.

Air pollution, especially very fine ones such as PM2.5, is very dangerous for health, especially vulnerable groups such as infants, children, pregnant women and the elderly. Diseases that can occur due to high PM2.5 include stroke, heart disease, respiratory infections, cancer and chronic lung disease. Especially for respiratory diseases, PM2.5 is a particle that can get worse more quickly because it can settle in the bronchial tract and alveoli. PM2.5 is more dangerous than PM10 because it is not filtered in the upper respiratory system and sticks to the lung bubbles, which can reduce the ability of the lungs to exchange gases.