There was a time when people first searched for weather updates when they logged on to the internet. Today, across several cities, people first search for smog- and pollution-related updates before beginning their day.
And, this is reflected in the trends data from Google. Compared to other health issues, such as heart attacks and flu, Indians seem far more concerned about air pollution. Search interest in terms related to air pollution exceeds both heart attacks and flu, and peak in October-November, driven by increased interest from Delhi-National Capital Region. This is the period when a combination of crop burning, industrial activity, higher traffic and winds envelope much of north India in a visibly toxic smog.
Though interest in air pollution peaks at this time of the year, it is in fact a year-long, nationwide phenomenon. There are many ways to measure air pollution and, on almost all of these measures, India’s air is more dangerous than the global average. On PM2.5 levels, which measures the concentration of the smallest and most dangerous pollutants in the air, the country’s air is especially toxic. For instance, in 2016, the last year for which there is globally comparable PM2.5 data, the average population-weighted exposure to PM2.5 in India was 76 micrograms per cubic metre (mg/m3), which is around 50% higher than the global figure of 50, eight times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommendation of 10 mg/m3, and nearly double the less stringent Indian government recommendation of 40 mg/m3…