New Delhi:EROS TIMES: Following a high-level meeting with the environmental experts and department officials on Thursday, Delhi Environment and Forest Minister Gopal Rai visited Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station at National Stadium today.
This came in the view of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee collaborating with the Washington University to undertake real-time source apportionment study. “Once we establish that this model is a success, the study can be replicated across various locations in the city,” said Gopal Rai.
Briefing the media about his visit, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, “Several studies have been shared on the Air Quality Index of Delhi and the contribution of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 levels to the air pollution in the city. Primarily, three studies have relevantly come into the picture, including a 2010 study from Nagpur, a 2016 study by IIT-Kanpur, and a 2018 study by TERI.”
The different apportionment studies undertaken by different agencies are based on a particular point of time. The first source apportionment study was undertaken for Delhi in the year 2010 by National Institute of Environmental Engineering, Nagpur. That study was based on PM 10.
IIT Kanpur undertook a source apportionment study for Delhi Government in the year 2016, which was widely quoted, but it was unable to propose real-time concentrations.
The study by TERI in the year 2018 gave the source apportionment study based on PM 10 and PM 2.5, however, seasonal source apportionment was used for the study.
“We have 26 pollution monitoring centers of the Delhi government across various locations in Delhi. The mechanism in these centers monitors AQI at a particular point of time in a span of one hour. But the mechanism has failed to detect the sources of this pollution,” he said.
The Delhi government has associated with Washington University to have a real-time source apportionment study, to obtain data on real-time concentrations from different sources of pollution. The study also highlights the contribution of various gases, waste generation and local burning which are the primary factors in air pollution.
Gopal Rai said, “The interim report will be submitted by the University by March 2020 and the model will be functional by the month of June 2020. Further action plans will be devised on the basis of the study report obtained in March.
We will launch a targeted campaign based on the findings of the reports, which will help us in identifying the real sources of pollution and to work on reducing the existing pollution levels in the city.
Once we are able to identify the real sources, we will be able to take immediate action and balance our efforts in reducing the pollution generated daily by 2 crore people of Delhi.”
“We also aim to create awareness in the people, by transcending the environmental situation in Delhi into a mass movement,” he added.