Seasonal dynamics in air quality index and its role in pollution mapping

Abstract

Alteration pattern of Air Quality Index with changing seasons, was studied and air monitoring was carried out at different road intersections selected in the trans-Gomti, central and southern regions of the Lucknow city. On the basis of levels of different pollutants in the ambience, the Air Quality Index was calculated to categorize the sites from very clean to polluted range. The air Quality Index data showed that the central region of the city was maximally polluted with auto-exhaust emission, followed by trans-Gomti region, while the southern region was minimally polluted. A marked seasonal variation pattern was also observed in the AQI being maximum in the winter season, followed by summer and the least in the rainy season. With the help of AQI, a pollution map of Lucknow city was prepared for the first time with different colour shades indicating the levels of air pollution in different localities.