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Last year, Economic Times put out a report stating the results of a survey conducted by Artemis Hospitals as part of Clean Air India Movement (CLAIM), on the correlation between indoor air quality and lung health of the people in Delhi. The study reported that “Due to unhealthy indoor air quality, about 34 per cent of people have one or the other airway disease and 47 per cent showed symptoms of respiratory diseases. 82% per cent of offices and houses surveyed have unhealthy air quality.” While we tend to talk a lot about the ill effects of the polluted air we are breathing outdoors; the fact that indoor air could be polluted as well, hardly crosses our minds. Quoting Dr Himanshu Garg, Head of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care, Artemis Hospitals, the Economic Times reported “Considering the amount of time people spend breathing indoor air, it is important to keep a check on indoor air quality.”
The one way to curb indoor air pollution is to grow a lot of air purifying plants and there is one app that helps you do it better. ‘Purify’ developed by 17-year-old Agastya Ahluwalia from Gurugram, not only lists all the air purifying plants as mentioned by the NASA study but also provides the users with plant details such as optimum temperature, water, humidity and more to make gardening easier than ever before. It frequently notifies users with plant care tasks to ensure that their plant thrives and allows them to track the progress through pictures and notes. The app also contains a forum, where they can discuss tips, tricks and troubleshoot any problems one may face while gardening with the rest of the Purify community. Purify sends regular reminders of plant care tasks.
A tech enthusiast, the 12th grader learned coding and developing apps using courses on the internet such as a course on Udemy called ‘Learn Android App Development Step by Step’ with Tim Buchalka. It took him around 4 months to develop this app. Talking about his inspiration behind Purify, he says “I’ve spent all my life growing up in Gurgaon, a place where pollution affects tons of people. In an attempt to make the environment cleaner, I gave growing plants a go. Turns out growing plants was a tad bit more complicated than simply showering water on them whenever you wish. Nevertheless, with the help of my mother, I got a hang of growing plants. So, I decided to combine my interests in gardening and tech to come up with what I think is a pretty neat app that guides people on how NOT to make the mistakes I once made.”
Apart from concentrating on his 12th class boards, Agastya is also currently working on getting his app out to more people. He feels that technology is an easy way to reach out to people from different continents. The forum on the app aims to create a space that encourages discussions and exchange of ideas and experiences on growing plants worldwide. “Technology can be an effective way to not only create a pollution free environment but also create a better world in other senses”. Agastya says.
Grow a plant today and make your indoor spaces cleaner and greener. You can download the app here.
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