To fight the increasing air pollution levels in Nasik, an ‘Oxygen Parlour’ has been set up at Nasik Road railway station, to provide a source of clean air for commuters.

The range of the Air Quality Index (AQI) deemed to be unhealthy is 145 to 165. Currently, the AQI of Nasik is 149.

Airo Guard, a Nashik based consultancy firm in the field of plant nurseries in collaboration with the Indian Railways has launched the initiative.

A unique oxygen parlour developed in Nashik Road station of CR. It Creates Natural Atmosphere and pleasant surroundings in station area, by eliminating harmful effects of pollution,using common indoor air filtering plants which filters harmful toxins and pollutants from the air. pic.twitter.com/pYjoh78RkH

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) December 22, 2019

According to the co-founder of Airo Guard, Amit Amritkar said that the concept of ‘Oxygen Parlor’ draws inspiration from a study conducted by NASA.

“In 1989, NASA had conducted a study in which they identified some plants that better absorb the five most harmful pollutants from the air. We have planted most of those plants here,” said Amit Amritkar.

These plants are capable of cleaning the air in an area of 10X10 feet around them.

“There are around 1500 plants here, so, these plants can directly and effectively bring down the pollution in the air at the railway station and allow the people to breathe cleaner air,” said Amritkar.

The NASA study titled ‘Interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement’ suggests that the leaves, roots, soil, and associated microorganisms of plants have been evaluated as a possible means to reduce indoor air pollutants.

Amritkar says that they aim to spread this initiative, first to every railway station and then eventually to every home. “People can also gift one of these plants to friends and family. It will expand the reach of this initiative and help improve the air quality across the country,” Amritkar added.

The move has been greatly appreciated by commuters. “This is a good effort towards improving air quality. I think that there should be such parlours in all the polluted areas and railway station,” Livemint quoted one of the commuters at Nasik railway station as saying.

Also Read: Fact Check: Environment Minister, Indian Studies Have Indeed Shown That Air Pollution Shortens Life