AIR QUALITY PERCEPTION OF COMMUTERS IN DELHI

Abstract

Air pollution has a significant impact on health but is often invisible to the naked eye. The rise in air pollution has affected not only human health but also short-term and long-term behaviors. This study aims to explore the commuters perception of how they perceive air quality information and the change in their travel choices to reduce air pollution exposure if air pollution information is provided. To comprehend the objectives, Delhi is selected as the study area. After delineating it on the basis of annual and hourly ambient air quality levels. Two types of survey (n = 643) were conducted (a) Online (b) Offline, Online survey was conducted in whole Delhi and NCR, while an offline survey conducted in south Delhi where the exposure is high as according to CPCB data. The study findings show that only half of the respondents are aware of the air quality index but did not understand it. Commuters' preference to air pollution exposure in their travel is the least, and lack of any information intervention is the main reason for it. With the availability of information, commuters prefer close transport modes (car, bus, and metro) during severe air quality levels. This finding shows the importance of real- time information in commuters decision-making, and due to the unavailability of any information concerning air pollution exposure, the commuters cannot make any decisions that can reduce their exposure during travel.