Delhiites get a mobile app SAFAR-Air to check air pollution levels

PUNE: If you live in Delhi or are visiting, you will soon be able to check the quality of air in the city, listed by the World Health Organization as the most polluted globally.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology based in Pune has developed an app to help assess the air quality of the national capital and produce associated health advisories. The app, SAFAR-Air, will be launched on Tuesday and will initially be available on smartphones operating on Google’s Android system and later on devices using Apple’s iOS.

The System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) was first launched in Delhi in 2010 during the Commonwealth Games. The mobile app will provide location-specific, real-time information. “It will give current air quality data as well as the forecast for tomorrow and the next three days,” said Gufran Beig, project director of SAFAR.

According to Beig, air pollution in December and January was the highest since SAFAR started its monitoring in Delhi. The air quality index categorises air as good, moderate, poor, very poor and severe.

“Almost 90% of the days in December and January belonged to poor and very poor category, unlike the previous three years when the number of days in these two categories was about 50% to 60%,” said Beig.

The incidence of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter was the highest this winter in the national capital. An increase in vehicular pollution, along with the cold, which compresses layers of air near the ground, are the likely causes for the recent increase in Delhi’s air pollution.

The WHO says the most health-damaging particles are those with a diameter of 10 microns or less, which can penetrate and lodge deep inside the lungs. Chronic exposure to particles contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as of lung cancer, the WHO says. According to WHO, about 1.9 million people in India die every year due to air pollution.

“SAFAR will help quantitatively authenticate the impact of poor air quality on human health as well as food security as air pollution results in a decrease in crop yields,” said Beig.

The air quality information and advisories for Delhi will be specific for five regions: west, east, north, south and central. The mobile app will also be launched in Pune on Tuesday, while both SAFAR and SAFAR-Air will be introduced in Mumbai in April-May.

The app’s health advisories will be colour-coded to help people easily understand the quality of air and to make their outdoor plans.

When the air quality is poor, the recommendation is that people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion and avoid going outdoors.