Air pollution in rural India: Analysis of satellite NO2 measurements

India is a country having more than 67% of its population (947 million) residing in rural areas as of 2020. Therefore, health of the people in rural India becomes important for development plans, economy and growth of the nation. As the sources of NO₂ are closely linked to the industrial and economic development of a country, we use satellite measurements of NO₂ in rural and urban areas of India to analyse the air quality in these areas. Our findings for rural areas show strong seasonal variations, with winter having the highest NO₂ (2.0×10¹⁵molec./cm²) whereas monsoon having the lowest (1.5×10¹⁵molec./cm²) levels. Around 40% of the total NO₂ pollution comes from rural sources with 45% of it attributed to road transport, however urban areas with more than 90% of their NO₂ from power sector were focused in the past studies. Our assessment shows that the NO₂ exposure in rural regions is as severe as in urban areas; indicating the need for more effective reduction measures 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, which is a big concern for the health of the large rural population of India.