Status of urban and rural air quality exposure at nation scale: a comparative analysis

As air pollution mitigation strengthens in the cities under the National Clean Air Programme, a recent analysis by Climate Trends brought attention to the rural regions in the country. The analysis used the SAANS satellite data and found that dangerous levels of particulate matter affect the rural regions too. Data from 2017 showed that PM levels have dipped across both urban and rural regions despite programmes focusing on cities making a stronger case for airshed management.