Air quality trends in rural India: analysis of NO2 pollution using satellite measurements†

India is a country with more than 67% of its population (947 million) residing in rural areas and 33% in urban areas (472 million) as of 2020. Therefore, health of the people living in rural India is very important for its future development plans, economy and growth. Here, we analyse the rural air quality using satellite measurements of NO₂ in India, as the sources of NO₂ are well connected to the industrial and economic uplift of a nation. Our analyses for the rural regions show distinct seasonal changes with the highest value (2.0 × 10¹⁵ molecules per cm²) in winter and the lowest in monsoon (1.5 × 10¹⁵ molecules per cm²) seasons. About 41% of the total NO₂ pollution in India is from its rural sources, but 59% of the urban sources were focused in the past studies. In addition, around 45% of the rural NO₂ pollution is due to road transport, whereas more than 90% of it in urban India comes from the power sector. Our assessment shows that the NO₂ exposure in rural regions is as serious as that in urban areas, indicating the need for more effective reduction of population exposure and protection of public health. Henceforth, this study reveals that rural India is gradually getting polluted from its nearby regions as well as from the new sources within. This is a big concern for the public health of the large rural population of India.