NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Friday commissioned the “Realtime Source apportionment” project which will help identify the factors responsible for the spike in air pollution at any particular spot in the national capital.
The sources of air pollution will be identified on a real-time basis to initiate mitigation measures under this project, informed Environment Minister Gopal Rai. Rai said that this is a first of its kind study which will help to curb air pollution.
Under this, the sources will be tracked in real-time and help to initiate appropriate action on a near real-time basis. “It will help understand the real-time impact of various pollution sources like vehicles, dust, biomass burning, stubble burning, and emissions from industries.
Based on the results obtained, the Delhi government will be able to take the necessary actions to curb the sources of pollution,” added the Delhi cabinet minister. A team of IIT-Kanpur, IITDelhi, The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali will execute the study in the national capital.
“This unique project which will provide daily and weekly forecasting of air quality, realtime diurnal source apportionment and suggest short-term daily and weekly actions to systematically assess, reduce and prevent air quality deterioration In Delhi for many years to come,” said Mukesh Sharma, the scientist at IIT Kanpur leading the study. A developed mobile laboratory will provide apportionment of the sources at multiple locations and this laboratory will be perhaps the first of its kind in the world.