{"id":13918,"date":"2021-01-28T14:22:51","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T06:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/?p=13918"},"modified":"2021-05-10T17:11:18","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T09:11:18","slug":"2020-india-air-pollution-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/2020-india-air-pollution-report\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 India Air Pollution Report: Did Air Quality Improve?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did India&#8217;s air quality improve in 2020? How did COVID-19 affect air quality in India? Smart Air analyzed 2020 India air pollution data for five of India&#8217;s major cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\">WATCH: Fixing India&#8217;s Air Pollution Problem<\/h3>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube  lyte-align aligncenter\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper\" title=\"Fixing India&amp;#039;s Air Pollution Problem | Smart Air in India\" style=\"width:640px;max-width:100%;margin:5px auto;\"><div class=\"lyMe hidef\" id=\"WYL_ix9c5Oe4kAY\" itemprop=\"video\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><div><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fix9c5Oe4kAY%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"embedURL\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ix9c5Oe4kAY\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT4M11S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2020-10-05T08:12:42Z\" \/><\/div><meta itemprop=\"accessibilityFeature\" content=\"captions\" \/><div id=\"lyte_ix9c5Oe4kAY\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fix9c5Oe4kAY%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\" itemprop=\"name\">Fixing India&#039;s Air Pollution Problem | Smart Air in India<\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ix9c5Oe4kAY\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fix9c5Oe4kAY%2F0.jpg\" alt=\"Fixing India&amp;#039;s Air Pollution Problem | Smart Air in India\" width=\"640\" height=\"340\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Listen to Smart Air founder, Thomas Talheim share his experience with air pollution in Delhi and why he started Smart Air to protect people through simple, no-nonsense, affordable air purifiers and open data. Featured Article: \ud83d\udc49 https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-make-diy-air-purifier\/ Smart Air is a social enterprise dedicated to helping people protect themselves from the harms of air pollution through education and low-cost purifiers. \u2022 Subscribe: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/SmartAirFilters \u2022 LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/smart-air-filters\/ \u2022 Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/smartairfilters \u2022 Twitter: https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmartAirFilters \u2022 Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/smartairfilters\/ \u2022 Volunteer: https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/volunteer-at-smart-air\/ \u2022 Shop: https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/shop\/ For business enquiries, email us directly at info@smartairfilters.com.\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:640px;margin:5px auto;\"><br\/><span class=\"lyte_disclaimer\">Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/smartairfilters?sub_confirmation=1\">Smart Air on YouTube<\/a> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/images\/smartair_youtube.ico\" alt=\"Smart Air Youtube\"\/><\/span><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-4c67569e gb-headline-text\">2020 India Air Quality Report<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Of the five major Indian cities analyzed in 2020, all averaged air quality levels well over the WHO recommended level of 10 micrograms. Not surprisingly, Delhi was the worst, with air quality levels nearly 9 times the WHO recommended limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next were Kolkata, Mumbai, and Hyderabad with levels 6.5, 4, and 3.6 times higher than the WHO recommended limit. The major Indian city with the best air quality was Chennai, averaging 26 micrograms of PM2.5 pollution, still 2.6 times over the recommended limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/delhi-pm25-air-pollution-decrease-coronavirus\/\">Is the COVID-19 Lockdown Decreasing Delhi Air Pollution?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Air-Quality-Indian-Cities-2020-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Air Quality Indian Cities 2020\" class=\"wp-image-15005\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Air-Quality-Indian-Cities-2020-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Air-Quality-Indian-Cities-2020-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Air-Quality-Indian-Cities-2020-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Air-Quality-Indian-Cities-2020-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Air-Quality-Indian-Cities-2020.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Air Quality Improved Significantly in Two Major Cities<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Famous for its air pollution, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/did-indias-air-improve-in-2019\/\">Delhi saw air quality improve 19%<\/a><\/span> over 2019. Despite this improvement, Delhi\u2019s air quality still ranks as the worst of these major cities in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Delhi-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Delhi Air Quality 2019 vs 2020\" class=\"wp-image-15272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Delhi-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Delhi-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Delhi-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Delhi-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Delhi-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hyderabad also had some good news in regards to air quality improvement! The city saw a double-digit reduction in air pollution levels from 2019 to 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hyderabad-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Hyderabad Air Quality 2019 vs 2020\" class=\"wp-image-15274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hyderabad-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hyderabad-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hyderabad-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hyderabad-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hyderabad-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Chennai Saw a Minor Improvement in Air Quality in 2020<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As the city with the best air quality of the five major Indian cities analyzed, Chennai saw a 6% reduction in dangerous PM2.5 pollution levels in 2020. Chennai\u2019s PM2.5 levels averaged 25 micrograms which is less than one-third of Delhi\u2019s yearly average in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Chennai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Chennai Air Quality 2019 vs 2020\" class=\"wp-image-15276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Chennai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Chennai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Chennai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Chennai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Chennai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Air Quality Did Not Change Significantly in Two Major Indian Cities<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In both Kolkata and Mumbai, air quality levels did not improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Kolkata-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Kolkata-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Kolkata-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Kolkata-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Kolkata-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Kolkata-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-1.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, Mumbai even had a slight increase in air pollution levels from 2019 to 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mumbai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mumbai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mumbai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-2-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mumbai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mumbai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mumbai-Air-Quality-2019-vs-2020-2.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Microscopic PM2.5 Particles in the Air<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The analysis of 2020 India air pollution is based on <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/What-is-the-difference-between-PM2-5-and-PM10-with-respect-to-the-atmospheric-pollutants\/answer\/Thomas-Talhelm\">PM2.5 pollution<\/a><\/span>, particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Studies have shown that PM2.5 <span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmartAirFilters\/status\/1065696348144455680\">raises blood pressure<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/35-college-students-purifier-health-effects\/\">inflammation<\/a><\/span>, and <span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/smogdoesntkilllikeyouthinkitdoes\/\">rates of heart attacks and strokes<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The analysis uses over 41,000 hourly air quality data points from the US Embassy and consulates in five major Indian cities. This data is open for researchers, although it is limited. It comes from only one pollution sensor in each city, and pollution can vary between neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-c2391d39 gb-headline-text\">Studies Document Protective Effects of Purifiers, Masks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the harms of PM2.5, studies have found that <span><a href=\"https:\/\/qr.ae\/TUnNmi\">wearing masks prevents harmful effects on blood pressure and heart rate variability<\/a><\/span>. Similarly, placebo-controlled studies of air purifiers have found that reducing particulate in the home <span><a href=\"https:\/\/msutoday.msu.edu\/news\/2018\/high-blood-pressure-an-air-filter-may-help\/\">prevents harm to blood pressure<\/a><\/span>, inflammation, and immune response\u2014even among young, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/35-college-students-purifier-health-effects\/\">healthy twenty-year-olds<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>How I Protect Myself<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smart Air is a certified B Corp committed to combating the myths big companies use to artificially inflate the price of clean air. To help people living in polluted cities protect themselves, Smart Air provides <span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/data\">empirically backed<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/shop\">no-nonsense purifiers and masks<\/a><\/span>, thereby helping to lower the cost of clean air<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smart Air provides<span>&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/data\">empirically backed<\/a>, no-nonsense purifiers and masks, that remove the same particles as the big companies for a fraction of the cost. Only corporations benefit when clean air is a luxury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For protection against air pollution in India,<span>&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/product\/sqair-air-purifier\/\">check out the Sqair!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/product\/sqair-air-purifier\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"301\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/KS-V4-03-e1567145194264-600x301.jpg\" alt=\"Sqair Air Purifier\" class=\"wp-image-12293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/KS-V4-03-e1567145194264-600x301.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/KS-V4-03-e1567145194264-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/KS-V4-03-e1567145194264-768x386.jpg 768w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/KS-V4-03-e1567145194264.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did India&#8217;s air quality improve in 2020? How did COVID-19 affect air quality in India? Smart Air analyzed 2020 India air pollution data for five of India&#8217;s major cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad. WATCH: Fixing India&#8217;s Air Pollution Problem 2020 India Air Quality Report Of the five major &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"2020 India Air Pollution Report: Did Air Quality Improve?\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/2020-india-air-pollution-report\/#more-13918\" aria-label=\"Read more about 2020 India Air Pollution Report: Did Air Quality Improve?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2882,"featured_media":13919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,452,384,260,386,257],"tags":[272,278,27,269,74],"class_list":["post-13918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-pollution","category-air-quality","category-delhi","category-air-pollution-health-effects","category-india","category-pm2-5","tag-air-pollution","tag-air-quality","tag-delhi","tag-india","tag-pm2-5","resize-featured-image"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2882"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13918"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16647,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13918\/revisions\/16647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}