Delhi CM inaugurates station to monitor real-time pollution

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 30

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal today inaugurated a supersite with state-of-the-art air analyser and a mobile air quality monitoring station at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Rouse Avenue, to identify sources of pollutants in real-time here.

The project has been started by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, and TERI. Through a presentation, the IIT team gave detailed information about the work of supersite and mobile station of real time source apportionment study.

The project ‘real time source apportionment’ aims to assess the respective contribution of pollutants from vehicles, construction, biomass burning and other factors every hour. The project will help in supplementing the existing network of monitors to provide data about pollution “hotspots” in the city. It will also help in identifying what actions can be taken to check air pollution.

The CM said, “Now, we will be able to forecast hourly data of pollution for the next three days. Real-time pollution analysis has already shown that other states accounts for one-third of Delhi’s pollution while biomass burning accounts for one-fourth and vehicles account for 17 to 18 per cent.”

He added that unless the authorities didn’t identify the sources of pollution, an effective policy to check it couldn’t be formulated.

Kejriwal said several steps, including ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign, had been taken to curb air pollution. “Whenever the need arises, the Graded Rapid Action Plan (GRAP) is implemented in Delhi. As a result, only three days recorded air pollution in “severe” category last year. These are much lower than the last few years.” Environment Minister Gopal Rai, along with Environment Advisor Reena Gupta and concerned senior officials of the government, was also present on the occasion.