Air Quality Improvement

Transforming Ahmedabad into a benchmark city for clean air

GSF is building the city’s first integrated response to air pollution, from capturing PM2.5 to cooling streets to turning captured pollutants into construction materials.

Three compounding crises - AQI, urban heat & airborne health

Ahmedabad spans 500 sq km with nearly 9 million people. Rapid urbanisation, rising vehicular density, ongoing construction, and industrial expansion have created a compounding environmental crisis with no integrated solution currently in place.

Worsening AQI

Pollution is worst in winter, when cold air traps particulate matter close to the ground. Heavy traffic and frequent braking continuously produce PM2.5, making vehicular pollution a constant, hard-to-control source.

PM2.5 - a hidden multiplier

Fine particles stay airborne for long periods. They also settle on tree leaves, forming a grey layer that reduces the tree’s ability to absorb sunlight and produce oxygen, disabling the city’s own natural air filters.

Urban Heat Island

Heat released from vehicles, industries, cooking, and buildings raises ambient temperatures, increasing energy demand in a feedback loop that worsens livability.

Industrial Contribution

Industrial areas around Ahmedabad release dust, harmful gases, and heat, further degrading air quality across the city.

Health consequences

The compounding impact of poor air quality is contributing to a growing public health burden, including reduced life expectancy and rising incidence of:

No integrated solution exists yet - we are on a mission to build one

Despite increasing awareness, there is currently no integrated and scalable solution in Ahmedabad that simultaneously addresses air pollution, heat island intensity, and airborne biological risk. Rather than dispersing efforts across multiple geographies, GSF is maintaining a dedicated focus on Ahmedabad, ensuring depth, relevance, and measurable impact in one city first, before scaling the model.

Our five planned research actions

A shift toward ‘local generation, local consumption’ will further reduce systemic environmental stress and improve urban resilience.

01.

Systematically map pollution sources and environmental risk zones across Ahmedabad.

02.

Quantify socio-economic and public health impacts of poor air quality.

03.

Conduct primary and secondary research supported by data analytics.

04.

Develop pre-concept and pilot models based on global best practices.

05.

Design scalable, economically viable, and city-specific solutions.

Six-pillar integrated strategy

Source Control

Reduce emissions at origin across transport, construction and industrial sectors.

Pollution Capture

Deploy innovative technology to capture airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) across the city.

Circular Utilization

Convert captured pollutants into value-added products such as paver blocks and construction materials.

Urban Cooling

Reduce emissions at origin across transport, construction and industrial sectors.

Real-Time Monitoring

Establish robust, city-wide tracking of pollution sources and environmental indicators.

Behavioral Changes

Encourage citizens to adopt sustainable lifestyles through community participation and awareness.

A benchmark city for clean air and climate resilience

GSF envisions a future where science, technology, and community action converge to address Ahmedabad’s urban environmental challenges. By building a comprehensive and economically sustainable solution framework, the Foundation aims to transform Ahmedabad into a benchmark city for clean air, public health, and climate resilience, a model replicable in other Indian cities facing similar crises.