Air quality in Baku

What is the air quality index of Baku?

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is situated on the southern shores of the Absheron Peninsula and its elevation is 28 metres below sea level. This makes it one of the largest cities in the world to be at such a low elevation. In 2020, the estimated metropolitan population was 5.1 million people. This area is officially home to 25 per cent of Azerbaijan’s total population.

At the start of 2021, Baku was enjoying a period of “Good” quality air with a US AQI reading of just 38. This classification is in line with the target figures suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The concentration level of the main pollutant was PM2.5 - 9.1 µg/m³. With low figures such as these, it is considered safe to open doors and windows to let in some fresh air and all types of outdoor activity should be enjoyed without worry.

What is the main source of air pollution in Baku?

As a result of human activities, 51 per cent of total air pollution cites vehicular emissions as its source. It is also known that 10-30 per cent of this pollution comes from motor transport. Of course, used cars, buses and other technical and transport vehicles powered by gas and oil products must emit a certain amount of toxic gases into the atmosphere. It is impossible without it. But the interest of the state and society is that these gases do not exceed the acceptable limits. According to international standards, the most dangerous and harmful emissions from vehicles are carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (CH).

The main air pollutants from the operation of vehicles include carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x). According to the report, a car, which has travelled 20,000 km, emits 0.775 kg of lead (Pb), 40.75 kg of nitrogen oxides (NO_x), 234 kg of hydrocarbons (HC) and 765 kg of carbon monoxide (CO). Under the influence of ultraviolet rays from sunlight, these waste products undergo chemical changes, and the list of harmful substances is enriched with low-level tropospheric ozone (O₃) and various toxins of photochemical origin. It is these substances that cause dangerous and uncontrollable complications for human life.

Is air pollution in Baku getting better or worse?

In cities with heavy traffic, such as Baku, air pollution is more intense and voluminous. According to the records, 549,511 cars are currently registered in Baku. And if we take into account that thousands of cars commute to and from the city every day from the surrounding regions and the villages and drive through the streets during the day, then to get more detailed information about harmful substances emitted into the air in Baku, data must be collected from ground-level monitoring stations and analysed.

Conversely, given that the vast majority of used cars have almost reached the end of their serviceable life, it is not difficult to imagine what map the situation will take. Road transport emits more than 200 toxic substances into the surrounding air in the process of work. 3.2 tons of carbon monoxide and 200-400 kg of other gaseous substances are emitted into the air from every thousand car engines every day. Based on these figures, it can be concluded that 1920 tons of carbon monoxide and 120-180 tons of other complex wastes are released into the atmosphere in Baku each and every day. About 57,600 tons of carbon monoxide and 3,600-5,400 tons of other harmful substances are released into the atmosphere per month.

Many of the cars that are imported no longer meet the emission standards from their country of origin, therefore they cannot be sold there. However, in countries such as Azerbaijan, the emission regulations are not as strict so make an ideal market for these surplus vehicles.

Most of the cars imported into Azerbaijan are "Euro-2" specifications. In order to improve air quality, this needs to be raised to "Euro-3", "Euro-4" and eventually "Euro-5".

What is contained in the smog that enrobes Baku?

The most serious and unpleasant type of air pollution is smog, which is a mixture of gas, smoke, fog and dust. Smog is an English word derived from the combination of the words smoke and fog. It is formed when water vapour condenses around particles of smoke. This is especially true in areas with heavy traffic, especially in large industrial cities. There are classic and photochemical types of smog. The photochemical type is formed under the influence of the sun's ultraviolet rays, the classic smog is produced by carbon monoxide from vehicles, and takes a more harmful form. Photochemical smog forms a yellow haze in the air, which obscures the air, creates an unpleasant pungent odour, and worsens people's health. These transformations occur during the photochemical decomposition of hydrocarbons from the combustion of fossil fuels, such as gasoline. The reaction products are ozone, aldehydes, ketones, acetyl nitrate and may include organic acids and other decomposition products. In addition, carbon monoxide (CO) emitted by cars is considered the most toxic ingredient of smog. Severe concentrations of harmful substances in the air as a result of smog sometimes lead to death. For example, a smog in London in 1952 killed 4,000 people, and in 1984 in Bhopal, India, 2,500 people died. Smog has also caused thousands of people to become seriously ill. All types of smog reduce vision and irritate the respiratory system. Photochemical smog irritates the eyes and mucous membranes, causing tears, as well as damage to vegetation with varying degrees.

What are the effects of breathing Baku’s poor quality air?

Every year, 3 million deaths worldwide are due to indoor air pollution, i.e. indoor air inside our rooms, houses, and various indoor areas, and 4 million are due to air pollution on the streets, roads and various open spaces.

According to the WHO, air pollution accounts for 24 per cent of deaths due to various brain diseases and 25 per cent of deaths from cardiovascular diseases.

The WHO says that air pollution threatens the lives of more than one billion people around the world. Emphasising that 80 per cent of the population living in large cities is poisoned by polluted air, the organisation draws attention to the high number of chemicals and various toxins in the air.