Abstract

Air pollution has been a matter of grave concern since time immemorial but was brought to the attention of stakeholders only in the last few decades. The adverse repercussions of air pollution are still being observed, which have indicated uncertainties and gaps in existing management policies and control strategies. Hence, to reduce the detrimental consequences of air pollution, a more stringent and impeccable set of decisions that could govern the issue coupled with technological advancements is the need of the hour. The prerequisite for effective and efficient air quality management is to understand research gaps so far. The article attempts to provide information about the evolution of air quality management policies in India by collating data from the past studies compiled in a virtual repository called Indian Air Quality Studies Interactive Repository (IndAIR). The study also highlights the research gaps in the past studies and spatial distribution over the country map using the Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The gap analysis indicates that air pollution has been well studied in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGPs), and metro cities. In contrast, Eastern, Southern, and the Central States are the least researched regions of the country. Further, the spatial distribution of PM2.5 and NOx concentrations are analyzed and found that highly polluted cities are studied more and vice versa. One of the least studied areas of various air quality domains is the socioeconomic effects of air pollution. Therefore, these regions and domains should be explored more closely to understand location-specific problems to tackle air pollution. The present review revealed several gaps, classified into three categories: research, policies, and economics.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.