How Delhi’s AQI women ambassadors are raising awareness on air pollution in their communities

Delhi was the top most polluted city in January among 254 cities in India, an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air has revealed. 

The increasing levels of pollution in the national capital and its health hazards has been a hot topic of discussion for the past many years. Apart from taking measures to curb pollution, it is also important to raise awareness, especially in unrecognised settlements in the region, in order to address the issue. 

Mahila Housing Trust, a grassroots development organisation, and Help Delhi Breathe, a community movement that mobilises citizens to combat Delhi’s air pollution crisis, are training women from these settlements to spread awareness on air pollution in their communities as well as collect real-time data on pollution. 

Armed with portable AQI (air quality index) monitors, these AQI ambassadors, as they are called, are engaged in Delhi’s unrecognised settlements (underserved areas where issues require more attention) such as Gokulpuri, Bhalaswa, Nandnagri, and Bakkarwal, tracking pollution and raising awareness.

Help Delhi Breathe and Mahila Housing Trust initiative will also engage with people in Kathputli Colony, Geeta Nagar, and Nehru Nagar through public art events.

The initiative has also had a steady presence in Delhi’s Raahgiri Days events, during which Help Delhi Breathe engaged with people on the issue of air pollution, highlighting how it impacts those in the informal sector through games and stories.

Help Delhi Breathe is also working with community-based organisations Bucketlist and Centre for Social Equity and Inclusion to run awareness drives and door-to-door information campaigns, with an aim to reach 1.5 lakh people. 

Raising awareness

Thirty-nine-year-old Saroj Ben is a homemaker from Bakkarwala who travels around her settlement with an AQI monitor, speaking to people about how polluted the air is, the causes of pollution, and how it can be prevented.

“I tell people to plant more trees around them and avoid burning coal and wood and instead use a heater. I suggest planting trees that give more oxygen. We explain how we can reduce pollution in our lives,” she tells HerStory.

Saroj  is among the 8-9 women AQI ambassadors operating in the unrecognised settlements of Delhi. The women attend meetings once a fortnight organised by Help Delhi Breathe and Mahila Housing Trust to discuss ideas and share strategies. 

“We have a group called Community Action Group that organises meetings and continuously shares information. For these meetings, I rally people from my area so that they can understand the effects of pollution firsthand from experts,” says Saroj.

Like Saroj Ben, Jarina Ben of Sawda, JJ Colony is also an AQI ambassador and has been associated with the Mahila Housing Trust for the past 12 years. She is the head of the Disha Mahila Mandal Group under the umbrella of the same organisation.

The 46-year-old works with Kadam, a non-profit, and conducts surveys and engages in fieldwork for the organisation. 

“When the AQI pollution project came to  Mahila Housing Trust, they told us that whoever is interested in taking up training for air pollution awareness can apply. I completed the training and started work,” says Jarina.

Information about right practices

Jarina uses the AQI monitor every day to check the pollution levels in the morning and evening. 

“Sometimes, the pollution is more and at other times, it is less. The number and colours that reflect on the screen of our AQI monitor changes. So, when there is more pollution, the colour turns red and the numbers are around 400, 500, 600 AQI. 

“On an average, 300-400 AQI is very common. For example, when the sun comes out, it will be a little hot and it will be less, at 200-250. Sometimes it’s 150,” she explains the process.

Jerina says that earlier there wasn’t much awareness about air pollution in these settlements but things are changing.

“Now, I talk to the people in my area, go block to block to spread awareness, and conduct meetings for the same. So now they are aware of how bad the air quality is,” she says. 

This winter, Jarina has been advocating the use of room heaters and helping people understand that burning wood outside the house is harmful for the environment. 

“Now during winters, they don’t burn fire; instead they have started using room heaters. They also have started wearing masks now when leaving the house,” she elaborates. 

“During summer too, there’s pollution; and I encourage people to use filters on the fan to filter the air,” she adds.

She also tells people about small plants that can help decrease pollution and small charcoal bags that can be used to purify the air inside the house. 

Mumtaz Ben who lives in Sawda, JJ Colony, Delhi is an AQI ambassador for the second year. She has been associated with Mahila Housing Trust for 12 years and is head of the Unnati group under the organisation.

It’s evident that she takes her job very seriously as she explains about raising awareness and the importance of data collection.

“My duty was to use the monitor for an hour, twice a day in one place. We noted the data in a register. This year, after further training, we were told to keep the AQI monitors at four points in the first week for every 10-15 minutes and then check how much pollution is recorded at each point and inform people about it. The points were increased again to seven points,” she says, getting into the minute details of her task. 

Mumtaz informs the women in her area not to burn plastic or rubber and cautions them about the ill effects of burning these materials. She also points out the pollution levels recorded on the monitors to drive home the message. 

Enabling people to voice their needs

The training sessions conducted by Help Delhi Breathe and Mahila Housing Trust have helped the AQI ambassadors to understand air pollution and its impact on health.

“We equip them with practical steps to lessen health impact by educating them on tips to improve indoor air quality, ventilation, switching from chulha to gas, etc. The training also equips them in the use of small, handheld AQI monitors and reading and recording this data,” says Gurpriya Singh, Campaign Manager with Help Delhi Breathe. 

Women AQI ambassadors are also being imparted knowledge on government social and welfare schemes like labour card, eShram card, Aayushman Bharat card, PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Suman Yojana, and schemes under Building and Other Construction Workers. 

The women take this knowledge forward and facilitate access to these schemes by helping people update records and getting ID cards done. 

Singh reiterates that it is important to support workers from informal settlements to represent their issues in the effort to combat air pollution.

“The overall impact is geared towards raising public awareness, enabling people from the informal sector to voice their needs, and enabling access to government social welfare schemes through community engagement,” she says.

Singh points out that the biggest transformation has been women coming together to voice their needs and make demands for better workplaces and waste disposal practices. 

“As steady income and livelihood remains a priority for them, they highlight how construction bans impact them and speak of measures to control air pollution,” she adds.