AQI
Every day, especially in big cities, people wake up to a familiar headline: “AQI crosses dangerous level” or “Air quality turns severe.” You may even receive phone alerts showing the AQI of your area. But after a quick glance, most of us move on with our routines. The truth is, that simple number on your screen is directly connected to your health, your children’s future, and even the way your city is developing.
AQI stands for Air Quality Index. It is a scale that tells you how polluted the air around you is at a given time. Instead of showing you separate values for various pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulphur dioxide, the AQI converts all this complex data into one easy-to-understand figure and category. This could be labelled as “Good”, “Satisfactory”, “Moderate”, “Poor”, “Very Poor”, or “Severe”, depending on the system being used.
When the AQI is in the lower range, the air is considered safe for most people. Children can play outside, morning walkers can enjoy their routine, and people with health conditions are less likely to face breathing difficulties. However, as the AQI moves into higher ranges, the risks increase. Polluted air doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes the sky may appear clear, but the air can still be filled with harmful microscopic particles that silently enter your lungs.
The most dangerous among these are fine particles, often referred to as PM2.5. These are tiny enough to travel deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Over time, continuous exposure to high AQI levels can contribute to asthma, bronchitis, heart problems, and reduced immunity. Children, whose lungs are still developing, and older adults are especially vulnerable. Pregnant women and people with existing heart or lung diseases are at even higher risk.
Understanding the AQI helps you take practical steps to protect yourself. On days when the AQI is “Poor” or worse, it’s wise to reduce outdoor workouts, especially high-intensity exercise like running. Breathing heavily in polluted air allows more harmful particles into the lungs. People can plan indoor activities for children, avoid busy traffic hours, and keep doors and windows closed during peak pollution periods. Using masks designed for filtering fine particles and, if possible, air purifiers indoors can also provide some relief.
However, protection cannot be limited to individual actions alone. The reason AQI keeps rising in many regions is a combination of sources: vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, construction dust, waste burning, and in some seasons, crop residue burning. Weather conditions like low wind speed, temperature inversion, and winter fog can trap these pollutants close to the ground, worsening the Air Quality Index even more.
This is why long-term solutions must involve both policy changes and public cooperation. Stricter emission standards for vehicles and industries, promoting cleaner fuels, improving public transport, and developing more green spaces are essential steps. At the same time, people can support these efforts by choosing carpooling, using public transport where possible, maintaining their vehicles properly, and saying no to open waste burning. Small changes in daily habits, multiplied across millions of citizens, can bring noticeable improvements.
Schools, workplaces, and communities also have a role to play. Displaying daily AQI levels on notice boards or apps, adjusting outdoor activities based on pollution levels, and spreading awareness about air quality can make people more conscious of their environment. When citizens understand how AQI affects their health, they are more likely to demand cleaner practices from industries and stronger action from authorities. Awareness often becomes the first step towards change.
It is equally important to remember that air pollution does not respect boundaries. What is released into the air in one area can travel and affect people many kilometres away. This makes clean air not just a personal concern, but a shared responsibility. When we care about reducing pollution, we are not only helping ourselves, but also our neighbours, future generations, and even those we will never meet.
In the end, the AQI is not just a technical term for experts. It is a daily health report for every citizen. Ignoring it is like ignoring a warning sign on your own body. By learning to read it, checking it regularly, and taking simple precautions, we can reduce the harm to our health even when outdoor conditions are not ideal.
Clean air is as essential as clean water and nutritious food. It should not be treated as a luxury or an afterthought. Paying attention to the Air Quality Index, supporting cleaner choices, and encouraging others to do the same are simple but powerful ways to move towards a healthier, safer future for all.
— The United Indian