Aditya Marathe, resident of Kondhwa, did a blog post on pollution levels in his area and took comparison shots at different times of the year.

Here are two photographs, of the same part of the city that is very close to where I stay. One of the pics is taken in August, in the middle of monsoon. The other pic is taken in March, in the middle of spring.

This is suspended particulate matter, or simply smoke! That comes out of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that ply all day on the streets of Pune. Especially those who use bad fuel, or have not got their catalytic converters corrected, or those that have a fake PUC certificate! Would you send your kid outside in this atmosphere? How many years will your kid survive healthy before his lungs fall prey to the blackness your car has emitted?

Here are just a few tips for the citizens and the corporation to make this place a better place to live… not just for you but for your child, and your child’s child…

• Rectify the catalytic converters in your vehicle, especially old vehicles.
• If your vehicle emits black or grey smoke, treat it as an alarm with utmost priority.
• Plant trees. Have plants in your home and society.
• Avoid the use of vehicles whenever possible.
• Avoid driving a car if the only person in the car is you.
• Start car pooling.

The post continues still further. You can read it at his blog.