In a new study, to be published in the journal Aerosol and Air Quality Research, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, take a closer look at various factors that caused air pollution during Diwali of 2016. 

According to the World Health Organization, the safe limit of PM_2.5 concentration for humans is 25 micrograms/cubic metre. But, the fact that at any given time, the  PM_2.5 levels in Delhi hover between 303.9 and 408.2 -- way above the safe level -- is no news! Newspaper headlines scream on toxic pollution levels and people wearing protective masks has become a common sight.

3.6 million lives could be lost in 2050 due to air pollution, says a recent study.

According to a new study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), the Health Effects Institute (HEI), and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), in 2015, only one in 1000 Indians lived in areas where particulate pollution did not exceed the permissible levels prescribed by World Health Organization (WHO).

Most studies on air pollution focus on intra-city roads. In India, highways constitute 40% of the traffic, making it important to effects of air pollution on and near highways. Scientists from IIT, Kharagpur explore this understudied phenomenon.

India today faces several challenges, an air pollution is one of the important one’s to overcome. Four Indian cities often features on world’s top 10 most polluted cities. And lack of data has prevented us from understanding effects of the pollution and take measures to tackle them. A new study now shows that one’s daily routine can be a good indicator for the level of pollution one might face.  It has already shown us that people travelling in cars and CNG buses face a lot less pollution and could help us find a lot more solutions to our pollution woes.