Bahawalpur air quality map

What kind of information about air quality is available on the air pollution map for Bahawalpur?

There is a wealth of good information about air quality on the air pollution map for Bahawalpur and it is very easy to access from the main city page. The air pollution map for Bahawalpur is on this page and clicking on it will encourage a new page to open which is dedicated to the facts about air quality.

When the page first opens, the viewer will be met with a very solid colour of dark red. This is a direct visualisation of the current air quality. Colours range from pale green to dark maroon and the darker the colour means worsening air quality. This current dark red indicates “Unhealthy” air quality. There are also some coloured discs dotted across the map which represent the locations of all the ground-level air monitoring stations within the map coverage, although not all are under the jurisdiction of the city. The information can be very useful when planning trips further afield.

At the centre of these discs is a number which is the United States Air Quality Index reading for that station or US AQI for short. It is calculated by taking measurements of up to six of the most commonly found pollutants in the city air. They are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. The entire system has the backing of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is extensively used as a metric when comparing air quality in different areas across the world.

Looking back at the main city page, there is a coloured banner across the top of the page. This colour too indicates the current state of the air. It is currently orangey/brown and shows the US AQI reading as being 148 which classifies the air quality as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”.

The main pollutant was found to be PM2.5 with a recorded level of 54.9 µg/m³. This figure is eleven times higher than the suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³, as recommended by the WHO.

Looking directly below the air pollution map for Bahawalpur can be seen the number of contributors there are that collate the data about air quality. There is currently only one contributor who is responsible for just one station. This is an individual who declares their initials as AM, but not much other information is known about them.

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

There is a lot more specific information about air quality on the air pollution map for Bahawalpur but the screen needs to be viewed at maximum size in order to see everything there is to see. There is an icon at the top of the map page which, when pressed will open up in full-screen mode.

When viewed in this way, a list of four choices will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. Each can be turned on or off individually to give an idea of the effects they have on the map.

The first option shows the locations of the ground-level air monitoring stations which are in and around the city. Bahawalpur has only one station, but by shrinking the map, more will be seen in adjoining areas.

The second option reveals the position of any wildfires that might be burning out of control in the area. Currently, there is only one fire icon on the map and it is many miles away from the city and therefore unlikely to have any effect on the air quality. Option four shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds which give a good indication of where the smoke may blow.

The third option visually shows the current state of the air by colouring the background of the map to reflect the conditions. It can be very dramatic but possibly a little confusing, in which case it can be deactivated and the map will revert to a more subdued colour palette.

The rest of the information can be found on the right-hand side of the screen in the form of a table. This table shows the top seven most polluted cities in the world. If this topic is of interest, then the full-ranking of all participating cities is available by selecting the appropriate wording.

The most polluted areas of the city can be identified by looking just below the air pollution map. Here you will find a table which lists the areas with the poorest air quality. Because there is only one station in Bahawalpur the table is a very small one. The station at Model Town A shows a US AQI reading of 162 which is classified as being “Unhealthy”.

Is the source of all the polluted air shown on the air quality map for Bahawalpur?

Although the sources of air pollution are not directly shown on the air quality map for Bahawalpur it is known that the sources of pollution can be vehicles, dust, thermal power plants, biomass burning, stubble burning and smoke from factories.

However, air pollution levels have come down by 18.6 per cent in the last four years due to the government's introduction of an electric vehicle policy in 2020 and other steps including a 24-hour power supply.

Particulate Matter is quoted on the air pollution map for Bahawalpur, but where does it come from?

PM or particulate matter is a mixture of liquid and solid particles that are suspended in the air. They can range from microscopic particles to particles such as smoke, soot, liquid particles and dust that can be seen with the naked eye. These are classified into 3 categories based on their size. These are PM10 (coarse, visible to the naked eye), PM2.5 (fine particles), and PM1 (ultra-fine particles). The latter two are invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen through a powerful microscope.

Primary particulate matter is released directly into the atmosphere. They are produced by many sources, including cars, lorries, buses, factories, construction sites, reclaimed fields, dirt roads, rock crushers and wood burning.

Secondary particles can be produced in the air as a result of chemical changes. They are produced indirectly when gases from burning fuels mix with sunlight and water vapour. They can be produced from the combustion of gasoline in automobiles, power plants and other industrial activities.