An Assessment of Ambient Air Quality in Shimla City

Air pollution in urban India has grown at an alarming rate. A vast majority of metropolitan and tier one Indian cities are experiencing acute deterioration in air quality and failing to meet health-based standards due to increased vehicular traffic and industrial sources. Studies show degradation in air quality in tier one cities but limited literature is available for tier two cities in India. The present article assesses the change in air quality in Shimla (a top tier two city) over a decade and tries to analyse the reasons for degradation in air quality. Annual and seasonal averages of major primary pollutants NO_x, PM_2.5 and SO₂ have been carried out to analyse changes in monitored concentrations. DMRB model analysis has been screened for prediction of concentrations.