Bengaluru’s poor air quality is a looming public health crisis.
“It’s essential that there is better monitoring of air quality in Bengaluru, to improve our understanding of individual exposure patterns in the city.”
Dr. Prashanth Thankachan, researcher at St. John’s Research Institute and Medical College
14 of the 15 most polluted cities in the world can be found in India. [1] However, the air pollution crisis in Bengaluru has not been in the spotlight. Cases of child asthma, upper respiratory infections, chronic pulmonary disease, as well as heart attacks in young people are increasing. [2] Initial data analysis points to air pollution, however, there has been no comprehensive monitoring of evidence to assess the health impacts on people living and working in the city.
Air pollution in India leads to at least 1.2 million premature deaths each year. India has one of the world’s highest exposure levels to PM2.5 fine particulate pollution, with an annual exposure average of 90 ųg/m3. More than 77% of India’s population is exposed to air pollution levels that are higher than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Bengaluru is the second fastest-growing major metropolis in India. Once known as the ‘Garden city’, Bengaluru has seen profound changes, with rapid urbanisation and drastic reduction of green spaces and tree cover. The sources of particulate matter (PM) which can harm our heart and lungs, unlike that of Delhi, are not ‘regional’, but ‘local’. Key sources responsible for Bengaluru’s poor air quality include vehicles, waste burning and road dust.
In addition, air quality monitoring in Bengaluru is inadequate, with only 10 online monitoring stations generating data in real-time, in a city of 12 million people. This system does not record data in all the city’s pollution hotspots, and does not capture the exposure levels of the population effectively.
The Healthy Air Coalition will be installing 40 monitors across the city in order to provide publicly accessible air quality data to assess the health burden of air pollution in our city and drive measures for improving Bengaluru’s air.




Stories
Healthy Air Coalition Bengaluru calls for urgent action on air pollution.
Bengaluru’s healthy air coalition, brings together health researchers, heart and lung doctors, public health institutes and patients, concerned about the health risks from Bengaluru’s poor air quality. We come together to collaborate on air monitoring initiatives with different communities in the city; to share information and communicate about air pollution & health; to build the capacity of fellow health professionals; and to provide expertise input for air pollution control and reduction measures.
We invite doctors, public health practitioners, researchers, concerned patients and citizens to join the healthy air coalition in Bengaluru. Together, we can achieve air quality that remains within the safety limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board and the World Health Organization.

Maternity ward and health service gathers real time air quality data to assess the health burden of air pollution on their patients.
The time to act on healthy air for Bengaluru is now!
[1]World Health Organisation (WHO)
[2] Bengaluru’s rising air quality crisis, 2017