Bareilly air quality map

What fascinating information is there on the air pollution map for Bareilly about air quality?

There is a lot of very interesting information about air quality and it is easily found on the air pollution map for Bareilly. This map is accessible from the main city page by clicking anywhere on the icon which will load the map as a new page.

Possibly the first thing to notice about the map is the overall colour of it. This colour is an indication of the current air quality. The colours can vary between pale green and dark maroon and are standard across the entire IQAir website. Very often there will also be some coloured circles on the map which show the location of the ground-level air monitoring stations that are in and around the city. However, not all cities have these physical stations and, instead, rely on data obtained from overhead satellites. Bareilly is one such city that relies on satellites.

Briefly looking back at the main city page, it can be seen in the coloured banner at the top of the page that in December 2022 Bareilly was experiencing a period of air quality that is classified as being “Unhealthy” with a US AQI reading of 152. To the right of this figure is an asterisk which denotes that the figure is derived from data provided by satellites and not from physical monitoring stations.

This number is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. It is calculated by taking the measurements of up to six of the most prolific air pollutants found in the city air. These are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Once established, it is used as a metric when comparing air quality in different cities around the world. The entire system is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The main pollutant measured was PM2.5 with a recorded level of 58.2 µg/m³ which is over eleven and a half times the target figure of 5 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO.

Are there any more exciting facts about air quality on the air pollution map for Bareilly?

There are a lot more fascinating facts about air quality on the air pollution map for Bareilly but the screen needs to be viewed at maximum size to see all the sections. This is very easy to do by selecting the icon at the top of the page. When fully open, a list of four options will appear down the left-hand side of the screen.

The first option usually shows the position of the ground-level air monitoring stations but not every city has such physical stations and instead relies on data supplied by overhead satellites. Bareilly is one such city.

Option number two reveals the location of any wildfires that might be burning in the vicinity. During December 2022, there were no such icons on the map as there were no reported fires in the area. When fires do break out, option four should be consulted because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and could give a good indication of where the ensuing smoke will blow.

This just leaves option three which is the most dramatic as it changes the colour of the map to indicate current air quality. Currently, it is a dark orange/brown which tells the viewer that the air quality is rather poor. It falls into the category of being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”. If the colour is too confusing, the option can be deactivated and the colour of the map will revert to a more acceptable scheme.

The remaining information can be found on the right-hand side of the air pollution map for Bareilly. This extra information takes the shape of a table which ranks world cities according to their levels of air impurity. The table gives a snapshot of just seven cities but the rest of the participating cities can be viewed by exploring the full ranking of all participating cities.

Can the source of air pollution be identified on the air quality map for Bareilly?

The source of polluted air cannot be seen directly on the air pollution map for Bareilly, however, it is known that air pollution from industries, vehicles, building construction and demolition, road dust, domestic emissions, hospitals, burning of garbage and from hotels and restaurants are all contributors to the polluted city air. In the last three years, the air of the city has become poisonous due to the smoke mixed in the air due to the increasing number of vehicles and dust blowing daily due to various reasons.

Smog has spread in the atmosphere due to indiscriminate digging, a slow pace of projects and violation of National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines became the cause of pollution. Due to this increase in Air Quality Index (AQI), Bareilly has come into the Red Zone. Officials of the department, instead of trying to get rid of pollution, are calling smog just a mist. While meteorologists clearly say that it is a layer of pollution and due to the drop in temperature, the smoke and dust particles spread in the city are held at ground level because of this inversion.

It is always seen on the air pollution map for Bareilly but how dangerous is PM2.5?

More harmful than PM10, the air is considered safe to breathe only when the amount of PM2.5 is 60 and PM10 is 100. 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 diseases. Moreover, smog, which is a mixture of smoke and air pollution, causes severe damage to the lungs. PM 2.5 has small diameters but can spread over large surface areas.

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