Delhi smog: How to track real-time air quality on Google Maps

The air quality in Delhi went down severely on Wednesday morning. A large part of the national capital region was covered in thick layers of smog. Various pictures of the city have emerged on social media showing poor visibility and bad air quality. While the Air Quality Index (AQI) level in Delhi crossed the 400 mark to hit the ‘severe’ category, Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad were all in the ‘poor’ category. 

Interestingly, Google has just introduced its new feature called “Air Quality”, which allows you to track the air quality of the city in real-time through Google Maps. 

Currently, Google is offering this feature in over 40 countries, including in India. This can help you identify the air quality in your area and take the next steps – be it staying home, buying an air purifier or more. 

Here is how you can track real-time Air Quality on Google Maps:

Step 1: Open Google Maps on your phone.
Step 2: Tap on the “layers” icon in the top-right corner.
Step 3: Now in the “Map details” section, tap on the “Air Quality” option.

And, now you can track the AQI of anywhere you want to go and plan it accordingly. This feature covers all locations of India and updates air quality data every hour. Using this you can monitor your local air quality, plan any outdoor activities and especially for children and old age people you can reduce their exposure to pollutants.

Using this feature you can’t only track the AQI but Google also provides tips and guides for its users according to AQI levels. The AQI scale is measured from 0 to 500 that shows different pollution levels:

• 0-50: Green, means “Good” air quality and it has minimal health impact.
• 51-100: Light Green, means “Satisfactory” air quality which means that it may cause breathing discomfort to sensitive people.
• 101-200: Yellow, means “Moderate” air quality which means that it may cause breathing discomfort to people with lung disease such as asthma.
• 201-300: Orange, means “Poor” air quality that may cause breathing discomfort to people with heart disease
• 301-400: Red, means “Very Poor” air quality and it may cause respiratory illness to the people on prolonged exposure.
• 401-500: Dark Red, means “Severe” air quality and it may cause respiratory impact even on healthy people and serious effects on people with heart/lung disease.

This real-time application can be used to get a better reading of the current situation of any particular area, similar to how we use Google Maps for tracking traffic.