PROTECTING BENGALURU’S CHILDREN: time to act for clean air around schools

The report analyzes air quality around 270 schools in Bengaluru, finding that PM2.5 levels frequently exceed WHO and US EPA standards, particularly during school departure times and winter months. It links this pollution to increased childhood asthma and respiratory issues, and recommends policy interventions such as restricting heavy traffic around schools and increasing monitoring networks.

• Air quality in Bengaluru is considered unhealthy for children throughout the year according to WHO recommendations, with the worst conditions occurring from October to April. During December and January, PM2.5 levels exceeded the Indian air quality standard, which is nearly double the US EPA standard.
• During school hours, 50% of the studied areas exhibited PM2.5 concentrations above the US EPA daily standard of 35 μg/m³. This suggests children may be exposed to polluted air in classrooms and during breaks.
• Air quality is most poor during school departure times (3 PM to 5 PM), with 94.4% of studied areas exceeding WHO recommended daily values and 83.3% exceeding US EPA values.
• The study found that poor air quality is not solely caused by school-related traffic, as PM2.5 values during school arrival, departure, and school hours were slightly higher on weekends than on weekdays.
• A significant reduction in PM2.5 levels was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown, with drops ranging from 11% to 34% compared to the pre-lockdown period, demonstrating that reducing vehicular traffic and construction can improve air quality.
• There is a correlation between high traffic areas and childhood asthma in Bengaluru; a survey of 12 schools showed asthma rates of 19.34% in high traffic areas compared to 11.15% in low traffic areas.
• The official government monitoring network in Bengaluru is insufficient, with only 10 online real-time stations for a city of over 12 million people, failing to capture pollution hotspots or individual exposure levels.
• The report recommends several policy and school-level actions, including restricting heavy traffic around schools, closing school roads during pick-up/drop-off, and shifting school hours in highly polluted areas.

APA

Gordeljevic, V., MacGuire, F., & Stauffer, A. (2021). PROTECTING BENGALURU’S CHILDREN: time to act for clean air around schools. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AQ-Indian-Schools_PROTECTING-BENGALURUS-CHILDREN_web.pdf

Chicago

Gordeljevic, Vijoleta, Frances MacGuire, and Anne Stauffer. PROTECTING BENGALURU’S CHILDREN: time to act for clean air around schools. Global Climate and Health Alliance, 2021. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AQ-Indian-Schools_PROTECTING-BENGALURUS-CHILDREN_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gordeljevic |first1=Vijoleta |last2=MacGuire |first2=Frances |last3=Stauffer |first3=Anne |title=PROTECTING BENGALURU’S CHILDREN: time to act for clean air around schools |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |date=April 2021 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AQ-Indian-Schools_PROTECTING-BENGALURUS-CHILDREN_web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gordeljevic2021protecting, author = {Gordeljevic, Vijoleta and MacGuire, Frances and Stauffer, Anne}, title = {{PROTECTING BENGALURU’S CHILDREN: time to act for clean air around schools}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AQ-Indian-Schools_PROTECTING-BENGALURUS-CHILDREN_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }