Air pollution in Ahmedabad these days is so bad that even those who do not smoke, have been taking in impurities equivalent to 2.5 cigarettes a day. That means, just because of the air one breathes, the person has become a passive smoker, gathering enough tar in the lungs that can be found in a person smoking 2.5 cigarettes a day. On a bad air day this number can go up to more than 4 cigarettes a day.
These figures were released by a group of environmental engineers, who take the data available and convert it show the unit of cigarettes smoked daily. Their latest figures are based on a report by IQAir. The engineers released the data through their Twitter, @GujaratAQIBot.
A report from IQAir shows that current PM2.5 concentration in Ahmedabad air stands at 46.2µg/m³, which is at a lower end. However, through the weekend the concentration recorded have been as high as 60µg/m³.
PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. These particle are the main cause of pollution in air for the city.
According to the report, current PM2.5 concentration in Ahmedabad air is 9.2 times higher than World Health Organization’ s (WHO) annual air quality guideline value. Nevertheless, it is also interesting to note that there is great disparity in air pollution figures in different area of the city.
