Delhi Air Pollution: Here are the apps, websites to use to tracking the daily AQI

There seems to be no respite from the air pollution woes in India, particularly in metropolitan areas such as Delhi where the AQI remains in the severe to poor category. The National Capital Region (NCR) which includes cities such as Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad are all currently covered in smog with AQI for PM2.5 particles ranging from 300 and above. In such conditions, it’s important to keep track of the pollution levels and prep up accordingly – yes, stepping out in FFP1 and N95 masks does help. With all this in mind, we’ve led down some of the best apps you can use to stay on top of air pollution in your city.
DPCC Tracking
If you only want to track AQI in the city of Delhi, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s (DPCC) real-time ambient air quality tracker provides the latest air quality data captured from various locations in Delhi. The interface displays a map of Delhi overlaid with various green target icons in different locations. Once you click on one of the icons, the website will display detailed air quality data for that particular location. While the website provides fairly detailed data, and shows pollution for PM2.5, PM10 particles as well as other polluting gases.  The interface is a old school and prone to glitches, but the data is accurate. The tracker only has data for Delhi and not the whole of the NCR.
SAFAR-Air
SAFAR or the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research is a project the Indian government’s Minry of Earth Sciences. The app is available on Android and iOS. The website is also available. uses data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune to provide current air quality index and air quality forecasts for four metro locations: Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. While the multilingual app is available in four languages (English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi), its interface resembles a website from the early 2000s.
IQAir AirVisual
AirVisual is easily one of the most comprehensive air pollution monitors, providing real-time weather data for over 10,000 cities around the world. The app also provides horical data and forecasts, so you can check what time/day would be the best to step out and plan your outdoor activities accordingly. The app is free to use and does not come with any ads. And on top of that, the app also offers health recommendations to help you achieve minimum exposure to pollutants.

Breezometer
Breezometer provides a super detailed look into the air quality of your city and its composition, even breaking down pollutants and showing how much of each is in the air. There’s also a dedicated map page providing real-time air quality street, down to the block and street levels. The app also notifies you of any changes in air quality for selected cities. Under the Air Quality page, you can also find health tips, providing recommendations on what you should do according to your health status.
Sameer
Sameer may not have the slickest user interface but it deserves a mention on this l regardless because it’s the Central Pollution Control Board’s official app. The app provides an hourly update of the National Air Quality Index (AQI) published the CPCB. Users can also reger complaints related to air pollution through the app itself.
Shoot! I Smoke
Shoot! I Smoke gives a comic tw to the whole air pollution measurement thing providing information not using AQI, but through the cigarettes equivalent of the pollutants, you’ve inhaled. The interface is simple and shows you the number of cigarettes you’ve smoked, although you can tap on “See detailed info” if you wish to delve into specifics.
The detailed info page breaks down the air pollution in your area into its pollutants, showing how much of each is floating around. You also get a map showing the air quality station closest to you.

World Air Quality Index
The World Air Quality Index project is a non-profit project started in 2007 and shows data for almost all cities in India. The project is providing transparent air quality information for more than 130 countries, covering more than 30,000 stations in 2000 major cities. The founding team for this is located in Beijing, China.
The website is available at https://aqicn.org/ and it is mobile-friendly as well. Just search for Delhi or any other Indian city and you will see real-time data for the air quality in that area. Remember, the website is pulling data from official sources. For instance, in Delhi’s case it shows data from the DPCC website, but on an interface which is much easier to understand. It also gives some weather details, picked from the air quality monitoring station nearest to you.