Investigating the Process of Changes in the Air Quality Index in order to Manage the Air Pollution Crisis in the City of Isfahan

Poor air quality has a lot of damage on the environment and humans. Awareness of the air quality situation reduces health effects of air pollution. Isfahan, one of the most populous cities in Iran, is facing air pollution due to motor vehicle emissions and industries. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the variations in Air Quality Index(AQI) during During the year 2016 and its spatial zoning with Surfer. This study was performed with the aim of the comparative investigation of Air Quality Index in critical days in major city Isfahan. This study was a descriptive–analytic one. First, the required data of five criteria pollutants were taken from Department of Environment in Isfahan. The air quality index was measured based on the instructions and classified into Good, Average, Unhealthy for sensitive groups, Unhealthy, So unhealthy and Dangerous degrees according to the air quality standard tables. Based on the results, the air quality of Isfahan was found to be critical in 12 days of the year. According to the zoning maps, AQI values were found to be in critical conditions in the core towards east of Isfahan. Other results of this research indicate that urban management can be used to reduce the traffic of vehicles and reduce the activity of polluting industries in relation to reducing air pollution in Isfahan.