Organisations and individuals alarmed by escalating air pollution in their cities now have a powerful resource at their disposal: the India Clean Air Connect platform.

The platform (indiacleanairconnect.org) was launched for the masses during a webinar on Wednesday. The platform is supported by the India Climate Collaborative and Asar Social Impact Advisors and designed by Sensing Local.

“India Clean Air Connect (ICAC) is a dynamic, community-centric digital hub for air quality stakeholders and resources in India, that aims to facilitate collaborative action in the air quality domain and advance action on air pollution in the country which is one of the greatest threat to public health in India, accounting for nearly one-third of the total annual deaths in the country,” said Ranchi-based researcher with the Asar Social Impact Advisors, Ankita Jyoti.

“Nearly 70 per cent of the top 50 most polluted cities in the world are in India; additionally, most Indian cities consistently do not meet the WHO’s air quality standards, putting much of the country’s population at risk of the adverse impacts of air pollution. Furthermore, air pollution and climate change are closely interlinked and often interact with each other,” Ankita said.

“ICAC emerged from the urgent need recognised by air quality organisations to unite stakeholders, bridge knowledge disparities, and monitor sectoral and regional advancements to minimise redundancies or duplication in efforts. The platform serves to aggregate knowledge, data, and opportunities to foster a shared resource pool, facilitating peer learning and aligning efforts”, said co-founder at Sensing Local, Ankit Bhargava.

ICAC has a database of over 35 air quality actors in over 100 cities and 16 countries, as well as 74 international and national sources of data and knowledge, and over 70 networks in the ecosystem.

“The platform also serves as a hub for communication, knowledge-sharing and learning, and stakeholder engagement, offering pertinent information on events, employment opportunities, funding possibilities, and resource portals,” said the chief of communication and engagement at Asar, Brikesh Singh.

“This website brings together diverse air quality actors, amplifying their efforts and fostering a thriving ecosystem,” added Singh.

ICAC will synthesise information on air quality in India, and thus, serve as an accessible knowledge database to its users. The platform features essential government notifications, relevant air quality
data retrieved from public sources, and a repository of past and present reports on air pollution.